Forbidden Chains
by rainjewel
Summary: *Complete * This is my very first shot at writing, so please take it easy!! ^.^ This was a large project for me, but the chapters are thankfully short, though some are pretty long! Anyways, it's a very interesting tale about the wonderous Chid zar Freid.
1. Prologue

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Hello! My name is rainjewel. I'm the one wrote FORBIDDEN CHAINS. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I just wanted to tell you a few things about the fanfic before you read it, so you don't come out completely disappointed.

Okay, before you immerse yourselves in Chid's yummy godliness (I prefer to call him The Young God Apollo), I just want to warn you about my story. It takes place 10 years after the end of Escaflowne, so everyone is (check out my math skills) 10 years older! 

Also, it includes *SPOILERS*. So, if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read it (though you happen to be missing out)! Though how you can be a Chid-lover and not be spoiled is really quite beyond me.

I don't own any of the characters, except for the ones that I made up (if you noticed, Van and Hitomi didn't have any children in the series, they didn't even kiss *sigh*). So please, do not sue me. It's not nice. 

I also want to tell you that I am one of the many Americans who got addicted to Escaflowne through the 9 episodes they showed on FoxKids. These episodes were chopped and welded too be directed for little children, so I'm very confused on times, dates, characters and things. I learned about Escaflowne through episode guides and pictures. This means that some of the characters personality may not ring true with that of the series. My arguments for that are that it's ten years later and people change, and that I only saw 6 episodes of the 9 aired here. 

And, last but not least, Folken's a babe. I was going to make a Folken-shrine, but technology and me do not mix very well. I know, I know, Folken *SPOILER* died in Escaflowne, but hey, he can come back 10 years later (at least in my head). So you have been warned! 

Thanx for reading! I hope you love it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you have questions, constructive criticisms, comments, or suggestions, email me at esca_rain@hotmail.com. Please, don't send flames though, but if you do, at least make them intelligent, or I shall sic Folken on you, and you don't mess with a a man who weighs 172 pounds and is 6 feet, 4 inches tall. Not too mention that he's a genius, and can kick your butt at sword-fighting, guymelef warfare (he did ride the teiring, remember), and Scrabble.


	2. The Beginning

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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Chid was bored. Not that being bored was anything extraordinarily different then usual. Chid had found that he had become bored and listless ever since the rebuilding of Freid had finished. Peace had settled over the land, and Chid, being the Prince of Freid, really had nothing to do. For as long as he could remember, conflict and its consequences had been a part of his life. At age 5, Zaibach had destroyed his country. It took Freid four rotations to reconstruct itself, and Chid had to repair himself as well. He had been working constantly, although he was barely a child. His brilliant young mind was talked about by all, and it had been in constant use. Then he learned how the gallant Caeli Knight Allen Schezar was his true father. It took him forever to deal with being a "love child." Sometimes, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, he still had problems with his paternity. Now Chid lazily watched the city prosper. Freid had become the center for the making of guymelefs. The people made top-quality guymelefs, using the best traits of the legendary Escaflowne, and incorporating some of Zaibach's technology. Chid now had his own guymelef, Khorinae, which boasted some of Freid's greatest accomplishments. But now, even practicing in his guymelef wasn't fun anymore.

Since age nine, his days consisted of speech practice in the mornings, along with government relations. The only thing good about that class was the field trips to Asturia and Fanelia. Then there were table manners at noon, and sword fighting until twilight. The training was all great fun for a little while, but the poor boy's mind wasn't being stimulated anymore. Finally, he had gone to the Duke. On one nice, sunny day (the days were always sunny now) he had been at the breakfast table, and broached the subject of leaving his studies.

"Sir," he had said. "Isn't my schedule a little repetitive?" he asked. He never addressed the Duke as "Father" anymore, just "The Duke".

"What do you mean Chid?" asked the Duke. 

"Well, every single day, it is the same old thing again and again, and it's getting extremely boring."

The Duke looked sternly at Chid and replied, "You think you've learned everything in 5 rotations? It took me 7 rotations to learn these things. Why do you think you can quit 2 rotations prematurely?"

Chid looked at him, square in the eye. The Prince had been tiring of this schedule for quite sometime, and was getting fairly annoyed at why the Duke couldn't understand.

"I want to start doing separate studies. Individual studies. Find an interest and learn everything there is to know about it. I want to go explore Gaea for myself. You take care of all the duties here in Freid, leaving me with nothing but my classes day after day. I can beat my teachers at everything now! If I had wanted to, I could have killed my Sword Instructor a rotation ago."

The two battled about the subject for a while longer, but Chid never got a definite answer. So, a rotation later, here he was. Sitting on the balcony in the twilight, watching the city and its people. He reminisced about all the lost arguments with the Duke on his studies, and his strictly controlled schedule. _Here I am, _he thought_, 15 rotations old, an heir to the throne, and a toddler has more freedom then I do._

He wished he could be like his mother, Marlene. She was a free, rebellious spirit he was told. Unfortunately, honor and its burdens got her in the end. Married to a stranger rather then her true love, Allen Schezar. 

Chid rebelled in small ways, such as having his hair rather long. Not long like Allen, but nice and floppy, like the King of Fanelia. He loved the unruliness of it. He remembered longing to dress and move like Van had when he had come to Freid 10 rotations ago. The images were hazy, but Chid remembered the freedom of the young King. Chid also dressed, as the Duke said, "like a ruffian". He wore a green leather vest that usually wasn't buttoned, open-fingered gloves (they had no purpose) and dark brown pants. His shoes were unlaced boots that he wore under his them. He also, just to really spite the Duke, had pierced his right ear and wore a small golden hoop earring.

Chid also played small, practical jokes on the Duke. He would remove the portraits from the great halls, and put them in strange places, placing them under tables, on top of the Palace Plants, and a couple in the fountain by the Grand Ballroom. Duke Mahad would be a little bewildered by waking up with his Great Aunt Usha's portrait in bed with him, but usually he'd laugh. Not anymore though. The Duke tired of Chid's jokes, and would glare at the Prince angrily when he discovered he was showering with a two-dimensional relative. 

"Aaah," Chid sighed, remembering. Life was so miserable. He felt guilty being miserable, since he was a Prince, and life in Freid was so monotonously delightful. He leaned back on his wicker chair, and felt the warm summer breeze kiss his cheeks. His hair blew around his eyes, blocking out the lighted city below. He began to close his eyes, but quickly opened them when the door open behind him. 

"Sir?" asked a timid voice. He turned around to look and see who it was. A small, slender cat girl walked towards him. She had long black hair, which contrasted sharply with her golden striped body. Her tail was curled very shyly. She was wearing a servant's uniform. Why is it, thought Chid, not answering, that Fanelians behold demi-people as equals, but Asturia and Freid cannot?

The cat girl slowed her steps and stopped, still very far away from him. 

"Come closer, please," Chid said toward the girl. She looked familiar, probably one of the maids who cleaned his rooms or something. He'd seen her around for sure, but never spoken to her.

The cat girl took a few more steps. Chid beckoned for her to come closer still. She approached, slower then ever, and stopped, about 5 feet away from his chair. 

"Your father, The Duke of-," she stammered. Her voice had a soothing bell-like tone, even though she was obviously nervous.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me who he is," said Chid, cutting her off. _Besides, he's not my father anyway,_ he thought bitterly. He hated all the formalities at the palace. He didn't see the point. However, the Prince realized how arrogant and sarcastic he sounded. The servant girl looked stricken. He tried to make up for his rudeness by smiling affably. "Sorry," he said, "I am very tired from my sword practice. I didn't mean to be rude." The words seemed to soothe the cat girl, and she continued.

"Well, your father, the Duke...sorry. The Duke would like to have a word with you in his bedroom," she smiled sheepishly, warmly. She was beginning to be more at ease, or so it appeared to Chid. 

"The Duke would like to see me?" asked the Prince. The servant nodded. "Do you know why he called on me?" It seemed odd to Chid that the Duke would want him at this hour. The moons were already out, and dinner had been over for a long time. 

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but he didn't tell me," she looked apologetic. 

"Alright, I'll go see him. Thanks for your message," Chid stood up from his delicate wicker chair. A fierce gust of warm wind blew just then, and skirted the chair right into the back of his knees, just strong enough to knock him off his feet. He fell backward into the chair, which tipped over onto its back. His head hit the back of the railing along the balcony. 

"Yiee!" cried Chid, crashing backwards.

"Oh no!" The cat girl bounded over to Chid, who was on his back in the wicker chair.

The girl quickly brought the chair out from under Chid, and laid his legs down so that all the blood wouldn't flow to his head. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be unconscious, but slowly his eyes opened.

"Do you hurt anywhere?" she asked. Every trace of meekness was gone from her voice.

"Just my pride," murmured Chid airily, "and my head...is it a bad thing if I'm seeing 20 images of you?" 

"I really don't think that's a good thing," said the girl, smiling amusedly. Chid slowly sat up, his head in his hands

"Okay, I think that helped," he said, seeing a worried look erase the girl's smile. "Now there's only 10 of you...wait, just 5, now 2. Alright, now there's just one image of you."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, sir," she smiled at his joke. 

The girl rose to her feet, and put out one clawed, slightly furry hand. Her arm was steady, but her emerald eyes were questioning him, asking Chid if she was out of line. He saw something then, something in her eyes, something that had been cruelly caged. Chid felt himself connect with this strange girl.

Chid shook off the feeling and took the outstretched paw gratefully, and rose smoothly to his feet, his eyes on hers, trying to tell her that it was fine. When he stood he was slightly unsteady, and balanced himself by putting a hand on the cat girl's shoulder. He felt her tense at this unexpected touch. Chid considered squeezing her shoulder or hand in reassurance but decided against it, thinking she'd misunderstand his intentions. He released her shoulder, and then slipped his hand from her gentle grasp. He straightened, and looked down at her face. 

"Sorry about that," Chid smiled at her, blushing. He felt really stupid, and now he had a headache. She smiled back and her cheeks turned faintly rosy. He could see her green eyes; they were sparkling with shyness. 

"It's alright. Don't worry about it," she said. She was still grinning.

Simultaneously the pair began combing their hair and straightening their rumpled clothing. Chid started running his hands through his hair and the cat girl quickly drew her hair up into a nice little bun. Chid noticed that her hair had red streaks entwining with the black strands. 

"Well, I suppose I should go answer the Duke," Chid said. The cat girl nodded and picked up the criminal chair. 

"Thank you for your help...um...could I please inquire on your name?" Chid was kind of shocked at what he had just said. He'd just blurted it out spontaneously. _What am I doing? _The Duke had always told him not to mingle with servants. Chid didn't really agree with the rule, but he obeyed it. He felt, well, rebellious by asking her that question.

The cat girl quickly turned around and faced him. Chid saw her thinking, thoughts skittering across her mind only visible through the windows of her eyes. She had two options, one, tell her name to a monarch (which was against servant protocol), or two, displease the Prince (also against servant protocol). 

"Akaro," she breathed. Chid stepped closer. 

"Pardon?" he asked. The cat girl looked at him, and said her name again.

"Akaro," the name came out as a purr. 

"Akaro, that's a beautiful name," Chid said. Odd name, but truly beautiful. He stood there, not knowing what to say. She already knew his name.

"Umm, shouldn't you answer your father?" said Akaro, she felt light-headed with her rule breaking, and she was feeling awkward. 

"Oh yes, quite," Chid edged his way toward the door and slipped through, throwing one last smile in Akaro's direction.

Akaro sat down in the wicker chair that was previously occupied by the Prince. She thought of his smile, wild hair, and charming manner. This brief event filled the cat girl with a little happiness, borne from the risks she had taken. 

****

******

"You have to be joking!" Chid cried. He was practically trembling with rage and disgust. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Do not raise your voice!" shouted the Duke of Freid.

" I will not marry Nidia," said Chid, quieter then his last outburst, "that is gross and disgusting. I can't believe Dryden would agree to such a thing! What does Aunt Millerna say? She can't be so in love with him to let this happen. _I_ won't let this happen! I—"

"Silence!" The Duke stared angrily at Chid. "In the monarchy, people marry within the family all the time, so as to keep the royal blood line."

"That happened a very long time ago! I refuse to marry my cousin. Have you gone mad? I would rather marry a dog then her! At least I wouldn't be marrying my blood! I swear to you, I will die first then marry Nidia. I won't put her through that."

With that comment, Chid stormed out of the room, his face on fire. He was so mad he couldn't even see straight. _ Share my life, my country, and...my bed with my cousin? Never! _thought Chid. He was appalled that a man such as the Duke would think something like that would be okay! Chid had to sit down. His vision was blacking out. _Why does he do these things? _thought Chid. _The accident, _he thought bitterly. The accident had changed everything. Chid sat down, memories swamping him. He couldn't deal with this. He couldn't deal with marrying his cousin, and then memories of the Duke's near death. Unfortunately, the memories persisted. Chid remembered.

He remembered the man he believed to be his father drowning blood. Everyone thought he had died. He remembered a wounded warrior dragging what Chid thought to be the Duke's corpse. Chid remembered he had been screaming. 

Later, advisor's from the Duke's panel had come to tell him that the Duke had survived. Chid had been puzzled at these words, but had obeyed. Later, the advisors came to him again and explained the situation. The Duke had come close to death, but they could save him. Unfortunately, they had to make sure everyone in Freid thought the Duke was dead, or Zaibach would continue the attack and destroy the kingdom. Chid understood it all, and he wanted to see the Duke, but advisors wouldn't let him. But Chid had sneaked in anyways, and had seen...

"NO!" yelled Chid, standing up. He shook his head. He wasn't going to remember. It was too painful. 

He opened the door to his room. Green cloth covered the room. It was his favorite color. Chid was angry again. It didn't matter what had happened to the Duke before. He wasn't going to marry Nidia! He grabbed his clothes, a first aid kit, and then raced to the kitchen to steal some food. On a whim, he took a sheet of paper from the Duke's desk. He quickly wrote a note, and stole into the servant's wing. He tiptoed down the creaky hall. 

Chid knew the room immediately. He had been here only once before, but he remembered it very clearly for some reason. He didn't understand why he did. It had been a rotation ago. He had found a small off-white apron in his room. It was slightly battered. He had gone from servant room to servant room, asking of whom the apron belonged to. No one would answer him, but finally he came to a room at the far end of the hall. He knocked on the thin door. Chid heard a chain rattle and the door lock detach. A curious and frightened striped face had peeked out. 

"Is this yours? I found it in my room," he'd explained. 

The girl had quickly whipped out her paw, and swiped it from his outstretched hand. The girl then had quickly shut the door in his face, whispering a breathless thank you.

This time Chid had gone to find a servant, he knew exactly where to look. Quickly he picked the lock and opened the door slightly. He saw the chain that was meant to keep visitors out tighten, right at his shoulders. _Private little thing, aren't we?,_ he thought. He quickly reached up and hit it with the hilt of his sword, breaking it. It made a little *clink* noise, and then he opened the somewhat creaky door. 

He looked inside the darkened room. He saw a small chest of drawers painted a moody black, but it could have been a dark green or blue, for Chid couldn't tell in this light. On top of the chest of drawers was a tall thick candle. Next to the chest was a bed. A small form was lying under a ratty quilt, airily purring. Akaro. 

Chid crept closer to the bed. She was lying on her side, with her torso turned upwards. Her arms were outstretched to the sides, as if in offering. Her face was peaceful, no timidity anywhere. Her long silky black hair surrounded her like a veil. Chid once again felt a connection with her. It was incredibly hard to explain. It was as if Chid knew everything that was in her soul, and Akaro could understand everything about him. 

The Prince reached down to place the scroll in her slightly curled hand. He let it drop in her outstretched paw, and gently clasped her hand around it. She let out a gasp, and Chid ducked below the bed. After a few minutes he peeked over the edge. Akaro was still asleep. Good. Chid needed to leave. He stood up to go, but paused and reached down to touch her hair. _What am I doing?, _he thought. He couldn't resist. The thick strands were as soft as corn silk. Slowly he slipped out the door, down the hallway, and out from the palace.


	3. Escape and Pursuit

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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Akaro woke with a start. She'd had the nightmare again. The nightmare where she was taken by that dark form, black with a constant changing shape. A voice was calling her name again. She knew that voice. She could never place its owner. Desperately she reached out to grasp that voice, but the form overtook her, and all she caught was a single strand of red hair. 

Akaro shivered, remembering her dream. She'd had it for as long as she could remember. 

"This is stupid," she mewed softly to herself, "I'm almost 15 and I'm acting like a child!"

Akaro clenched her hands into fists in frustration, and felt a small crumpled pressure in her hand. _What is that? _She slowly uncurled her left palm, and a crinkled scroll was revealed. Akaro was slightly shocked as to how it had gotten there. The cat girl was about to alert someone about the possibility of an intruder in the castle, but decided to read the scroll first. Slightly trembling, she opened the scroll and read its perfect text.

****

Dear Akaro,

I wanted to let you know that I have left the Palace without authorization. I have absolutely no clue when I'm coming back. I apologize for leaving on such short notice, but I had to leave urgently. I regret not having talked more with you before I left. I...well, I feel as if you and I are kindred spirits. When I looked in your eyes this afternoon, I saw myself in them. I promise I'll discuss it later with you, for I have to leave at once. I'll miss you.

Yours Truly,

**Chid**

Akaro breathed out slowly. She was having an emotional overload. She couldn't believe it. Chid had left, and thought it important enough to send her a note. 

"Chid gone...unauthorized leave...kindred spirits...yours truly...oh my!"

Akaro made a quick decision. She knew she shouldn't do it, but she had felt a connection with Chid. She believed what he had said about her and him being kindred spirits. Akaro grabbed her bag of all her precious belongings and some clothes, then bounded out the window, wearing only her nightgown.

****

******

Sweat poured off Chid's neck and dripped down his back. The night was hot and humid. Every creature was too sleepy and hot to move in the dark, tangled forest, except him. _And people say animals are stupid. _He was moving through the forest as fast as he could. His pack was very heavy and it was cutting into his shoulders so hard it felt like a buzz saw was trying to cut of his shoulders. His breath was starting to come in ragged breath. 

_Whoa, _he thought_, I have carried far more weight then this, and I've never gotten this out of breath. What's going on? I swear I'm in much better shape then this!_

Chid was annoyed with himself. He should have been able to carry his pack and sword without this many hassles. 

"Damn Vines," said Chid. He chopped the vine in half. He was extremely tired of stumbling through the thick forest, but he wanted to get far away from Freid. Why was he this tired? He couldn't figure it out.

Chid finally stopped in a small patch of grass and dropped his pack, which was getting extremely heavy. Tall trees, whose dark boughs sheltered him from unexpected rain, surrounded him. Chid looked around, checking out the scene. He felt a little uneasy (and extremely drowsy) about spending a night in the woods by himself. He'd never been by himself in the wilderness before. Despite this uneasiness, Chid felt wildly exhilarated. 

"Freedom," he whispered aloud, and then his world went black.

****

******

Akaro bounded through the forest. She saw the path of hacked vines and trampled underbrush. Chid, in his haste, hadn't disguised his path at all. As Akaro moved quickly down the obvious trail, she tried to undo the Prince's previous damage. _You think he would be intelligent enough to disguise this mess,_ she though. Finally, after walking down the wretched path, Akaro come to a small clearing where Chid lay on his left side. Quietly and swiftly she leaped over to his side, dropping her bag and clothes.

The boy was fast asleep. It appeared as if he'd just collapsed where he was standing, tired from his journey. This perplexed Akaro. Chid was in excellent physical condition, or at least she had thought so. She remembered the warm, tingly sensation that had overcome her when Chid had grasped her hand so tightly. Chid shouldn't have been so exhausted from his journey, especially in a rage such as Chid had been in, slashing vines shouldn't have been a big problem. Akaro looked at Chid's bag, which was lying close to his back. She sniffed it.

_Smells good...like...pine_, thought Akaro. She liked the way Chid's pack smelled. Good and fresh just like his smile. Next, Akaro tried lifting the bag. It was so heavy she couldn't even budge it. The Prince obviously didn't know how to pack. She tried again, but to no avail. Wiping away the beads of sweat that where now collecting on her brow, she sat down.

_Oh well_, thought Akaro, _No matter_. Akaro turned her attention back to Chid. _He looks like a rebellious angel when he sleeps_, she thought. It was true of course. Chid, wearing his usual rebellious clothing, his gleaming hair carelessly tossed around his head like a halo, was the very essence of a rebel heaven. His chest rose up and down with each breath, making his vest slide up and down over his chest. The monarch's lips were parted slightly, and a small glistening droplet of saliva trembled in the corner of his mouth.

"Cute," Akaro whispered. She reached out with her hand and wiped away the droplet away. Chid drew in a quick breath and reached up with his free hand and grabbed Akaro's wrist. Akaro quickly tried to get her hand away, but it was to no avail. Chid's grip, even in his slumber, was like a visor. 

"Well, I guess you weren't as tired as I thought you were," Akaro murmured, smiling at the Prince. She walked slowly over to his front side, and lay down facing his chest, which was turned slightly upright. Still in Chid's grip, she curled up in a little ball and closed her eyes, taking one last glance at the boy's angelic beauty.


	4. Along the Unbeaten Path

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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"Hmmm...grraggle snarf," said Chid. He blinked open his eyes and looked at the sky. Through the darkened treetops Chid could see it was still dark. For a second he couldn't remember where he was. He knitted his eyebrows in thought, and remembered his mad dash from the castle. _Why am I here in the middle of the field? I should have chosen a safer place to sleep_, he thought. He tried to remember going to sleep, but he couldn't.

Chid closed his eyes and curled his chin into his chest. Instead, however, his chin hit something very soft and very fuzzy. The Prince quickly opened his eyes. Some creature was lying right next to him! He moved his free hand to grab his sword, but realized that he had a hold of the thing's wrist and hand. _What in the world is going on here? _he thought. Chid looked at the hand, and recognized it, then he realized who's red-streaked black hair his chin was resting on. It was Akaro, and she was fast asleep.

Chid let his hand drop, releasing Akaro's wrist. Her hand fell and landed lightly on his chest. Akaro let out an irritated mew at all this movement. She then snuggled closer to Chid, and began gently kneading the boy's chest with her paws. The Prince smiled in amusement, but felt a little awkward at being so close to the girl. He gently took Akaro's wrists and placed them by her sides. He then smoothed the girl's lustrous black hair and spoke her name just loud enough to wake her up.

In a flash her eyes opened. She jumped up and out of Chid's arms, bumping his chin with the top of her head. 

"Ouch!" said Chid, as he stood up. He rubbed his chin. It didn't hurt too badly.

"I am so sorry Your Majesty! I'm sorry I followed you! I read your note and I don't know what got into—" Akaro's apology was quickly cut off by Chid clamping a hand on her mouth, moving behind her.

"Hush. There are extremely dangerous creatures in this forest. I don't think you want to get their attention!" said Chid. The Prince felt extremely nervous. This night had gone all wrong. He had gotten betrothed to his cousin, ran away from his castle, he couldn't remember anything that happened in the field, and Akaro had followed him! 

The boy gently turned Akaro around in his arms. Her green eyes were frightened, ashamed, and...happy? _That's a little odd_, he thought. Chid blinked and looked at her eyes again. Yes, there was definitely some happiness in her eyes. Why in the hell is she happy? Chid thought. He couldn't believe it. She was going to be in so much trouble for running away after him! Freid was going to give her the harshest punishment possible. _But,_ Chid thought_, they're going to punishment too. _That was a depressing thought. How could she possibly be happy about all this? She was being so deadly rebellious—but so was he, and he was having a great time at it. He was so happy about it he could have died right there. The thought cheered him up even though he was still on edge_. Yes, that's why she's so happy,_ thought the Prince. He was so glad she was happy, and he was glad she was with him. He threw his head back and started to laugh.

Akaro looked at him fearfully. She tried to say something, but Chid had forgotten that his hand was covering her mouth. The cat-girl started to pull away in something close to a panic. Chid looked at Akaro, and saw her wide-eyed, fearful expression. The Prince realized that his hand was still on her mouth, which was trembling violently. 

Chid immediately dropped his hand and stopped laughing. Akaro exhaled a large amount of air and continued pulling away. Chid, determined not to let her go, quickly enveloped her in a firm, silken hug. 

"Shh...stop struggling," he whispered in her ear. Akaro ceased moving and became as stiff as a board. Her arms were stiffly pressed against Chid's chest. He gently began stroking her hair."I'm so sorry Akaro," he said, "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's my fault. I'm jittery, and I can't help it. I'm so glad you're here! Damn me! I keep trying to get to know you better, and all I do is frighten you and make a fool of myself! Oh Akaro, I'm so sorry...so sorry..."

Chid ended his speech, closed his eyes and laid his cheek upon her head. Akaro didn't move. She didn't even breathe.

"Will you forgive me?" he whispered softly. He waited for a response, but none came. "Please Akaro..." he breathed. 

The girl stirred. Akaro slowly lifted her arms slightly. Chid didn't stop her. _I've done it_, he thought, _She's going to leave_. Akaro gently slid her arms around Chid's body, and hugged him gently. Chid tensed, then relaxed and smiled sleepily. 

"I forgive you," she whispered. She slowly folded into Chid, relaxing her body, letting her head lie on the Prince's chest.

****

******

Akaro had no idea how long she and Chid had stood there. To Akaro, it seemed like forever. She'd never been this close to anyone in her entire life. She had felt quite a surge of courage, but her nerve was fading. She gently gave Chid a squeeze and the dropped her arms and took a step back. Chid lifted his head and looked at her with sleepy eyes. He slowly dropped his arms and then looked up at the sky, and Akaro did the same. It was still black, but there were faint violet streaks in the sky. 

"I need to get to Fanelia," he said, looking down at Akaro's upturned face. 

"Tonight?" she asked, lowering her head to look at him. 

"Yes, tonight. I don't want to wait around more than I have too, and we can get to Fanelia tonight, or this morning, whatever it may be." Chid looked around the clearing. He was having trouble with his sense of direction. He peered into the forest, but it was too no avail. 

"I think we're only a few miles outside Fanelia. If we go a certain route we'll end up right at the palace. What do you think?" the Prince asked. He then picked up his pack and shouldered it. 

"I wouldn't know, Prince-"

"Please, call me Chid," interrupted Chid.

"Chid...um...well, I wouldn't know. I've never left Freid," Akaro, "why are we going to Fanelia anyway?"

Chid took her arm and made a motion to start walking. 

"Come on, we need to get going. The reason I'm going is because Allen Schezar is there and I need to talk to him. Do you know who he is?"

"Yes, I know. He's a Knight of Heaven, and he's also your father," said Akaro, blushing at revealing she knew the Prince's rather personal information.

"Yes, that he is. Come then, let's get going," said Chid, starting to walk in Fanelia's direction.

"Well, go on. I'll catch up with you. I need to get dressed in something more, let's say, adequate for travel. If you haven't noticed, I'm in my nightgown and it's, well, rather...flimsy," Akaro blushed even harder. It was true, her nightgown was light and was cut very short. 

"Are you sure you'll be able to catch up? I move pretty fast," said Chid.

"I can see and hear in the dark better then you, and I'm very quick. You haven't seen me run yet." Akaro grinned rather mischievously at Chid.

"Alright, I believe you," replied Chid. He took off. The minute the Prince was gone she quickly changed into a short, sea green dress and slipped on some small black sandals. 

Akaro quickly took off in the direction the Prince had taken. She ran swiftly down the path, her small feet leaving tiny imprints in the dirt. She noticed that Chid was taking extreme caution and was concealing his path expertly. _Good,_ she thought, _now I don't have to clean up after him._ She continued at a rapid, steady pace, until she heard Chid's footsteps and labored breathing in front of her. _He must be getting tired again,_ she thought. She was curious on why he was getting so exhausted from so little exercise. The cat-girl bounded into a tree and surpassed Chid by moving along the high branches. She quickly jumped down in front of the Prince. 

"Hello there," she said. The girl smiled at Chid's amused, startled expression. 

"I told you I was quick." She grinned.

"I just didn't know how quick," said Chid. He breath was ragged, and his sweat was forming little lazy rivers on his face. Akaro took a kerchief out of her pack and mopped his face with it. Chid remained still, but looked at her rather quizzically. She smiled shyly, and folded the damp cloth into a strip, then tied it around Chid's head, keeping his long hair of his face. 

"Chid, what's wrong? I don't think it's good that you're getting so tired," Akaro said. Her eyes were wide with concern. 

"I don't know why I'm getting so tired. It hurts to breathe, but I haven't done anything that would impair my endurance," said Chid, he adjusted his pack and started walking again, though slowly. Akaro followed.

"Are you sure nothing happened when you hit your head today? Maybe you bruised a lung or something," she said. 

"Maybe, but I don't think that the fall was that hard," said Chid, shaking his head.

"But you were knocked unconscious. I don't think that's particularly healthy. And then there's the possibility that you passed out in that clearing. You were lying like you had collapsed when you stopped in that clearing." Akaro adjusted her pack.

"I don't think I collapsed, though I can't remember why I was laying in that field, Look!" Chid pointed in front of them. A dark wall was in front of them. It was the Palace. The conversation between Akaro and Chid abruptly stopped. 

Akaro quickly climbed the trees that were surrounding the back of the Palace. Chid was peering at her curiously. Akaro looked in the second story window that was in front of the tree where she was perched. It was a bedroom, and she saw what appeared to be the uniform of a Caeli Knight 

"This one is Allen's," she said softly.

"Good, thanks for your help. He slowly approached the building. It was covered in ivy, and the balcony of the first story window blocked his view of Allen's room. He dropped his pack, and latched on to the heavy green vines. 

He jumped up and latched onto a thick strand of ivy. He reached his hand up for another vine, then another. The going was slow, for it was hard to find strong enough vines to support his weight. He finally reached the first story balcony. He was sweating lightly and his breathing was hard. 

Akaro watched from a close distance, holding her breath. Her extrasensory ears picked up on his heavy breathing. He continued up on his climb, taking a leap off the balcony's railing. 

_He's so high up there_, thought Akaro. She didn't want to even think of what would happen if he would slip and fall. She watched the Prince continue steadily climbing, though he looked like he was going at half his usual pace. _He's still tired_, Akaro noted. He was straining more and more with each move. Chid was nearing the top, but it didn't look like he was going to make it. She bounded to the window's ledge and latched on with her toes. She reached down to Chid, offering her hand. Before Chid saw her, a strong arm reached around her waist, squeezing the girl so hard she couldn't breathe, then jerked her in through the window. 


	5. An Unlikely Reunion

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

*****************************************************************

Chid placed his hand on the window ledge, then hauled himself up, throwing his body through the opening. He landed on his feet, but his knees buckled. A tall, longhaired man reached out, catching Chid, who was hovering just above consciousness.

_Allen_, thought Chid, as his world went dark for a few seconds, but was shocked out of his faint by a cold whisper of steel against his neck. He recognized the hilt of the sword in the fair skinned hand. It was a knight's sword. 

"Tell me who you are, or I'll slice your neck," said the Allen, whispering in the Prince's ear, "and then I'll take care of your little servant girl too!"

Chid's eyes rolled torpidly around the room, and he saw Akaro's still form, unconscious on the floor. _Oh no! _he thought. _He doesn't know what he's doing! _Chid was near collapsing. He wasn't going to last much longer. 

"For Jeture's sake Allen, it's Chid, your son!" he hoarsely whispered, then collapsed in the man's arms, oblivious of the sword that clattered to the floor at his words.

The blonde-haired man turned the teenager around in his arms. He couldn't see the boy's face, just the glint of a gold earring in the pale moonlight. The boy felt strong, but so weightless. He carried the boy to the bed, lying him down so that he could see the child's face with the aid of a candle. It _was_ Chid, the son that he loved so dearly. The man turned and looked at the cat-girl, Chid's companion, feeling guilty about knocking such a frail creature unconscious. He clenched his fists in anger at himself for using such brash tactics. He clenched his fists tighter and tighter, until blood oozed from the palm of his hands, gashed by his sharp fingernails. He wiped the blood on his nightshift, and picked up Chid's friend, laying her on the couch, since he couldn't put her on the bed with Chid. She was remarkably beautiful. 

"Allen...don't hurt her," came a murmur from the bed. He looked up from the girl, turning his attention to the fallen Prince. The boy's eyes were glazed, but he looked coherent.

Allen was quickly at the boy's side, on his knees. Chid looked at curiously.

"Oh, forgive me Chid. I didn't know that it was you outside my window. I saw the girl first, and thought that you were going to rob this room. I didn't mean to hurt you or her. I'm sorry for my rash decisions—" Allen continued on, talking quietly and nobly, as a good knight should, but Chid couldn't listen any longer. He wasn't mad at Allen, for he himself would have done the same thing. He just was worried about Akaro.

"Allen," the Prince said hoarsely, "I don't think you hurt me, but please, please check on Akaro. Get a doctor or something, but don't let anyone know I'm here. They can't know." He tried to sit up, but it required too much effort for the exhausted monarch. He struggled to be upright, and Allen put out a supporting arm. 

"Please, leave me to rest, but help Akaro, please...please," Chid's head fell back, worn out from his speech. The Caeli Knight gently laid Chid down, covering him with pillows, and laid a kiss on his sweaty forehead. 

****

******

The next thing Chid remembered was waking up to a cool washcloth over his eyes and forehead.

_What the hell?_ _Where am I?_ Thought Chid. He couldn't place anything. The smells were unfamiliar, and so was the entire feel of the room. 

"Chid, Chid, are you awake? Please be awake Chid!"

_Ahh, that voice sounds so familiar,_ thought the Prince._ Is it my mother? No, no, that can't be. She's not around anymore, unless...unless this is Heaven._ He tried to tell his mother that he was so happy to see her, but his tongue felt to heavy to move, and as a matter of fact, so did his body. _I must be going to Hell!_ He thought with alarm. _I can't get out of my body! Mother, I'm here Mother, come save me, save me Mother! _He opened his mouth and tried to call to her, but only a gasping noise came out. He tried again, and again, but nothing worked. He attempted to reach out to his his mother, Marlene.

"Chid! It's me, Akaro! What's wrong Allen? What's going on?" 

"I don't know, I don't know! Quick girl, go get Serena, my sister. She's with Hitomi," said a new, familiar voice. 

"I want to stay with him! I want—"

"Go Akaro! Go get Serena!" said the voice. Chid recognized that voice through all his panting and twitching. It was Allen.

__

Allen will help me. He has too. He's a Heavenly Knight. That has too mean something, thought Chid. He began to calm down, but his breathing was still coming in ragged breaths. 

"Chid, it's Allen. Calm down. I'm right here and I won't let anything ever happen to you. I pledged that the minute you were born. Come on Chid, I know you can pull through this," said Allen. Chid felt the washcloth being lifted off his hot face or a second, but then it was back, extremely cool and comforting. Allen was sponging his face. Chid began breathing normally. _I'm going to be okay. Allen's here, _he told himself,_ Akaro...was here. Where did she go? I remember that she was hurt. What happened to her? _ Chid had to know.

"Allen..." Chid opened his eyes. He looked up directly at Allen. A golden halo surrounded his face, but he couldn't quite make out the expression that painted it. All of a sudden two other figures joined it. Black, strawberry striped hair flooded his vision, but then short, curly, silver hair and big blue eyes replaced it. 

"Chid, it's Serena. I'm here to help. Please stay calm," the girl leaned closer to Chid's face, looking into his eyes. She was so close Chid was sure she was going to fall on him. He closed his eyes and felt his body tense, anticipating her fall. None came. 

"Shh...Chid, relax. It's okay," said Serena. He opened his eyes after a moment's hesitation. "I'm was looking to see if your pupils are dilated. They aren't. Actually, I don't think there's anything wrong with you. Akaro told me that you hit your head yesterday, and I think that you had a concussion, and it somehow effected your stamina."

Chid looked at Akaro, who was leaning over him, smiling. Her emerald eyes were shining so brightly from unshed tears. He prayed that they were happy tears. 

"What about you, Akaro? Are you alright?" Chid asked. He remembered her limp body on the floor.

"Yes Chid, I'm fine. It was just a little bump on the head. Allen didn't hit me too hard," said Akaro. The words came out a little tightly, but she put on a smile. Serena had a small frown on her face, and Allen looked like a broken toy. 

"Hey Allen, it's alright. I know that you didn't recognize me, and especially not Akaro," said Chid. Allen blinked his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. His face trembled, but swiftly he regained his composure. Chid felt a pang of guilt, and made a promise to himself to not bring up last night too much. The Prince then shut his eyes in fatigue, but quickly reopened them as hunger made an abrupt entrance into his stomach."I think we should get Chid some food," said Serena, as if reading his mind, "and then he should rest for a couple days to get his energy back. Then I would think that he would be as good as new," she smiled at Chid. Chid looked at her dreamily, but quickly put a hand on his stomach as another pang of hunger attacked him. 

"I'll be right back, boy. I'm going to get you some breakfast. I hear that Fanelia has fine chefs," said Allen. He beckoned to Serena, and both left the room. Akaro looked upon him adoringly. 

"Are you sure you're okay after last night? I know that Allen is pretty strong," the Prince smiled weakly at his comment. He remembered all to well Allen's strength, especially when the knight was in a killing mood. Akaro let a thin smile grace her face.

"I'm doing fine, I told you. I'm slightly muddled at why Allen attacked you so viciously. From what I've heard he's not usually so brash. Oh well. I forgive him, I guess."

Chid closed his eyes, too tired to give a response. _I don't think I'll make it to breakfast._ Hunger gnawed at him almost unbearably. _I think my body's telling me otherwise. _ "Chid—I can hear your stomach growling. I'd go and check on your breakfast, but I can't leave this room, and as a matter of fact, neither can you."

A door opened, and Chid opened his eyes. Allen was standing there, a bowl of steaming liquid in his left hand, and a glass of orange juice in his right. Chid tried to sit up, but he couldn't manage very well. Akaro helped him a little, which was much to Chid's dismay. He wore a small little scowl when Allen made it over to the bedside. Serena was no where to be found. Chid made a quick prayer that he could eat his own breakfast. 

"Here's your breakfast," said Allen, he set the bowl down in Chid's hands, and gave the orange juice to Akaro to hold. "I'm sorry, but I have some duties to attend to this morning, and I can't miss them. I hope that Akaro will look after you." The Knight through a charming smile at Akaro. She gave him a numb look. He got up, grabbed his uniform from its hanger and walked quickly to the door. He tossed a look at the two over his shoulder. "If there's any trouble, Serena will be with Hitomi. I think Akaro that you will be able to find her easy enough. I know that Hitomi can keep a secret. I'll be back before the sun sets." And with that he left the room.

Akaro turned back to Chid, orange juice in hand. He noted that her face bore a look of disgust.

"Do you not care for my father?" he asked. Akaro looked away from him, staring out the window at the forest. 

"I truly don't know. Last night he was the perfect gentleman, and was a wonderful person to be around. Today he's a...well, he's...flirtatious? I don't know the word for it," she said. She slowly looked at him, expecting him to say something, but he didn't make a reply. "You'd better eat your oatmeal before it gets too cold," she said finally.

Chid looked down at his lap. The bowl was still steaming, and he could smell the oaty smell of the oatmeal, and the sugar and cinnamon that was mixed in. Very carefully, he lifted up the spoon in his left hand, scooped up a small amount of the hot cereal, and put it in his mouth. It tasted very good. He slowly let the goop ooze down his throat a little before he swallowed. _Ha! Breakfast is not as tricky as I thought it would be! _He thought to himself secretly. He continued to eat a little bit at a time.

"You know, you're right. Allen is what I like to call a Ladies Man, if you catch my drift. As you know the story, my mother, Marlene, fell in love with him, and I'm their, love child," he was amazed at how easily he could talk about his brazen father. "Well, anyway, during the Great Gaean War, my Aunt Millerna fell in love with him, and I think he became infatuated with her, but only because she reminded him so much of my mother. At least, that's what I've come to as a conclusion. 

There was also rumor about him falling in love with Hitomi Kanzaki, that girl from the Mystic Moon who married Van. I'm referring too the King of Fanelia of course, whose castle we happen to be in right now."

Akaro shot him a look that clearly stated "I'm not stupid," and put her hand out that held the orange juice.

"Would you like some orange juice?" she asked. Chid took the glass, and tilted it too his lips. The cool liquid poured down his throat. It was nice and sweet. _Allen must have added some sugar or some sweetener to this._ He could feel some of the orange juice dribbling down his chin and neck. It was icy cold. He lowered the glass and wiped his chin. Akaro took a handkerchief from a small pocket on her dress, and mopped up the sticky mess on his neck and chest, blushing slightly. Chid looked down and noticed that he didn't have a shirt on. 

"Where did my vest go?" he asked, " I didn't know that it had been missing. I guess I'm not very observant."

"I couldn't tell you. At the time I was unconscious due to your playboy of a father," said Akaro. Her tone was sweet and neutral. She didn't mean any bitterness or teasing to come from her comment. It was merely a statement.

"Yes, I suppose that's what he is. He's a good person, though a little backwards, I dare say? Well, I suppose not. He just loves grand old nobility. He's extremely chivalrous, and perhaps a bit chauvinist because of it. But he has a very good heart, and will put his life on the line for the one's he loves." Chid was starting to feel fatigued by all this talking. The breakfast had energized him, but now he was rapidly tiring.

Akaro noticed how his blue eyes were starting to dull. His body was sagging against the headboard of the bed, although he as making a valiant effort to stay energized. She could tell that he detested the idea of having to be looked after. 

"I think you need to get more rest, and I-," she faked a wide yawn, seeing Chid's grumpy look, "need to take a nap too, and you know I won't do that until your fast asleep."

Chid was satisfied that he wasn't being looked after. _Hey, Akaro's tired too, that's all right then, _he thought to himself. He lowered himself down onto the pillows, with some of Akaro's help. He acted grumpy about it, but he was grateful that her small, sure hands were helping out. Akaro pulled the covers up to Chid's shoulders. He looked at her sleepily, and mumbled his thanks. The last thing he remembered was looking at her smile.


	6. Dragon War

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

** **

*****************************************************************

__

Thrust left, chop right, and block! Duck down, thrust up, and chop left! _Got him!_ Chid let his sword drop. He was tired. It was his second day out of Allen's room in the Fanelian castle, and he was practicing his sword fighting. Allen had finally let him out for some fun, but only because Serena had said that he had needed some exercise. The Prince was beginning to think that Allen could be a bit overprotective at times.

"Good job! Your moves looked wonderful, and your stamina and endurance are back! I hardly saw you falter!" exclaimed Akaro, clapping. The two were in the forests of Fanelia, and Akaro, was watching Chid practice in a small clearing. She had been giving him compliments all day long, and Chid was feeling quite proud of himself, but he was very tired. He'd been practicing for hours.

"Ugh. I'm tired," said Chid, sitting down beside her. He leaned against the tree she was sitting against. He wiped the film of sweat that was on his forehead with a handkerchief Akaro had given him. She had chastised him for using his gloves all the time, and had given him one of her many handkerchiefs. Luckily, the things weren't lacy. Chid hated lace. It was the total opposite of his leathery clothing. He closed his eyes and breathed in the deep pine air. _Ah...refreshing_, he thought.

"So, how are you feeling lately?" asked Akaro. Chid turned his head to the sound of her voice and slowly opened his eyes. _My word, she looks lovely_, he thought. Serena had lent her a few dresses from her wardrobe, and amazingly enough, Akaro had fit into most of them. Luckily, it seemed Serena was a tiny thing, about half Allen's size, and barely came up to Chid's shoulder. Akaro was wearing a clingy vermilion dress that came to just above her knees. Serena said she had had it for a very long time, when she was 10 rotations old or so. Chid found this hard to believe because he didn't think Serena would have been caught dead in a gown that was bright red and for the most part...didn't have yards of fabric, like people seemed to like back then. OH well, he didn't care. Akaro looked beautiful. The red in the dress brought out the red in her hair, giving her a very warm glow. 

"Akaro, you look like a fire nymphet," said Chid dreamily, then noticed how his voice sounded very stupid. He tried to fix it. " Uh, you look very...uh...pretty," he said, blushing. He wasn't used to complimenting people on his own free will. Of course, he always complimented visiting monarchy, but it was the usual brown-nosing of acting impressed at their wealth. A true compliment that he meant, that was a whole different and completely foreign thing for Chid.

Akaro looked at Chid. She looked a little shocked by Chid's sudden compliment. She gave him a large smile. 

"Why, thank you Chid. You're looking pretty handsome yourself," she said uncertainly. Chid noticed her cheeks turn a shade redder then usual. He didn't know what to say. Suddenly, a great roar cut through the clearing, and Chid felt the ground tremble. "What was that?" whispered Akaro. Her eyes were large and looked frightened.

"The only thing I know of that roars like that is...dare I say it? A dragon," said Chid. He quickly stood up.

"I think we need to get out of here," said Akaro. She jumped to her feet, which were barefoot. 

"I agree comp—MOVE!" yelled Chid. The tree that the two had been leaning against was falling towards them. Akaro quickly backed up out of the way, and the tree fell, right in between her and the Prince. The dragon screamed, and when Chid looked up. The dragon was standing at the base of the tree. He looked quickly across at Akaro, and she scrambled across the tree towards him. Her dress caught on one of the branches. _She's not going to make it!_ thought Chid. He quickly leapt up into the tree, and grabbed her waist, pulling her away for the branch. The dress ripped, and the loss of tension caused both Chid and Akaro to tumble out of the tree. 

The minute the two hit the ground, they began running. Chid knew that they couldn't out run the dragon but he couldn't think of a better thing to do, since he wasn't exactly skilled in the dragon-fighting department. His only advantage was that his sword and dagger were edged with energist, making both strong enough to cut dragon scales, though he wasn't planning on fighting the dragon. He had had classes on doing it before, but he had never had practice with a real dragon. 

Suddenly the forest ended, and he and Akaro were on the edge of a wide cliff. _This is not cool. Not at all _he thought. 

"Chid..." said Akaro. She stopped. She didn't know what to say.

"Akaro, I know that you can climb extremely well, can't you?" he asked, very softly. He could hear the dragon coming at them by its rumble that cut through the trees. 

"Yes. I can," she said. 

"Look over the cliff. If it's an overhang, and you think that you can climb down there and hold on, do it. If not, go into the forest, and hide in one of the trees. Try to stay calm," he said. Chid forced his voice to be steady, and kept his face a complete mask of coolness. 

"I'm not leaving you, Chid. And I couldn't climb down this cliff anyway," said Akaro. Her voice trembled when she spoke.

"Yes, you are. Or I'm going to go and put you in that tree myself, and you know that I can't climb. Look, after the dragon passes you, try to get to Fanelia as fast as you can, and find Allen. Go, now! The dragon is almost here!" He pushed her in the direction of the forest. 

"Chid, I..." she said, she felt so torn it was almost unbearable. Chid saw a tear slide down her cheek. 

"GO!" he yelled. Akaro ran and leapt into a tree, and then bounded into the next. She was on her way to Fanelia. "Goodbye, Akaro," he whispered. He withdrew his sword with his left hand. 

Suddenly, a dragon burst through the forest, on the far side of the cliff. Chid held his breath, and turned his body to face it. He dropped his sword. It was only an infant dragon, very small and delicate. The dragon stopped and looked at Chid, and then cowered on the edge of the cliff. Chid relaxed for a second, and then tensed again. _Come on, where's your mom?_ He thought. He felt the ground shake. She wasn't far away. 

The trees in between him and the dragon cub shook. Chid tensed, and a short, very young girl stepped out. She was wearing a long white dress, very similar to Akaro's, and her thick black hair was flowing freely around her. 

"Hey! Get out of here!" Chid yelled. She looked at him, and her emerald eyes were full of wonder. He ran quickly to her side and dragged her away from the forest. She didn't resist.

The ground gave a tremendous shake, and the cliff started to break. Chid moved the girl farther away towards the forest, but she suddenly broke away from him and went running towards the edge of the cliff. Chid tried to catch her arm, but missed by mere centimeters. He went running after her. 

A large groan echoed through the air and half of the cliff fell away. Without warning, a shrill shriek broke through the air. The cliff had given way under the infant dragon, and it was falling, along with small girl. Chid stopped just in time to see the cliff break off, inches from his feet.

"No!" Chid shouted. He looked down. The beige colored rocks of the gorge greeted his eyes. He couldn't see them anywhere. "Holy shit! They're gone!" he whispered. Suddenly a flash of white flew right by his face, and Chid abruptly backed up, tripping over his feet. The Prince fell to the ground and lay flat on his back. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as pain ripped through his body. It quickly passed and he opened his eyes. 

"The sky...the sky is full of feathers," he said. White feathers were all around him. He picked himself up from the ground, and saw the small child that had jumped off the cliff. He nearly fell again. 

"There you go little one. Go back to your Mama," the girl said. She put the dragon cub on the ground and he hurriedly ran off to find his mother. Protruding from her back were great white wings. 

"You're an angel!" he whispered. He couldn't believe his eyes. She looked like a small cherub.

"No I'm not silly," she said giggling, "I have Draconian blood in my veins, and that's why I have white wings."

"Oh," said Chid. He'd never seen a person of Draconian descent. He saw her small mouth open to say something but a great clamor from the forest made her stop. 

Chid turned around to face the trees just as a huge dragon burst through them. It was the Mother, the same one that had chased him and Akaro through the forest. He saw the beast's huge head came right at them, and he jumped out of the way. He made a slash at it with his sword, cutting its eye. The dragon jerked its head back and let out a loud howl. 

Chid glanced at the girl. She was on her back, unconscious, and her head was bleeding. He quickly picked her up and ran to a boulder and placed her behind it. Chid heard the dragon running at them and turned around and to meet it. The dragon stopped, and slowly eyed him with her good eye. 

"Come on, you bitch...let's get down and dirty. You want to fight?" he asked. He glared at the dragon. It snorted a small fireball at Chid's feet. He backed up a few paces. The thing's serpent tongue slithered out and ran around its lips. 

__

Oh, so it thinks I'm going to taste good? he thought, _well, I'm going to give it the worst indigestion it ever had! But_ _let's think, I have to be logical. What do I know about dragons?_ Chid ran through his mind as quickly as possible. _They're big, they're ugly and they eat—_the dragon lunged at Chid. He flung himself to his left as hard as he could. The dragon's teeth landed in the dirt just inches from where Chid had moved. Chid quickly got up. The dragon lifted its head and turned its back to him, lashing at him with its big spiked tail. Chid jumped away from the writhing tail, and the spike hit the boulder that the girl was lying behind. The boulder disintegrated into dust. Chid quickly picked the small child up again and thrust her behind a tree in the nearby forest. _Maybe I could loose the dragon in the forest,_ he thought. But Chid soon realized that he'd have to get on the other side of the dragon to do that, for if he went in the greenery right now, the dragon would surely follow him, trampling the girl. 

Chid turned to face the dragon again, and barely saw its tail coming at him. He put his arms around his head and ducked, but the tail's tip still caught his left forearm and smacked the side of his head. There was an awful sound of bones cracking, and the force of the blow made Chid fall to his knees. His vision went dark for a few seconds, then returned. He let go of his sword and took cover behind a tree. Chid looked at his arm. It looked like one of the bones in his forearm was broken. He grabbed his sword with his right hand. Since he was left-handed, this was going to make his dragon fighting much trickier. _I have to cut open the stomach_ he thought, _before it starts spitting fire again. _Suddenly, he got an idea. He quickly dashed through the trees, till he was on the other side of the dragon, who had turned to where he had fallen.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I'm right here you big ugly lizard! How about you come for your damn dinner!" the dragon turned its head towards him and let out a big, ground shaking shriek and came rumbling towards him. 

Chid stood his ground until the dragon was right upon him, he dove for underneath the belly of the beast and thrust his sword into the dragon's chest using his sword to rip through the dragon's scales all the way up to its throat. The beast's blood rained onto him. The dragon let out a deafening roar and reared up onto its hind legs. Chid ran from underneath the beast, but slipped in the giant lizard's blood. 

The dragon darted its head and bit into Chid's right leg, ripping a good deal of cloth from his pants, and lifted him off the ground. Pain burst through Chid's entire frame. The dragon flipped its head up to swallow him. Chid quickly took his sword and using all his strength, jammed it into the roof of the dragon's mouth, forcing it to remain open. The sword bent but held. Chid realized that it wouldn't last for very long, energist ridged or not.

Chid took out his dagger and flung himself out of the lizard's mouth, grabbing onto its nose. He looked into the beast's yellow eye and saw the glazed look of death. The dragon was dying. Chid raised his dagger and with all of his waning strength, thrust it deep into the dragon's eyes, blinding it completely. The dragon shook its head and Chid heard the sword snapping. Chid tried to hang on, but he didn't have the strength. He was hurled into the trunk of a tree and slid down to the base and collapsed. He couldn't move. He opened his eyes to slits and saw the dragon dragging her enormous weight, sniffing around on the ground. Chid tried to stand up, but his head swam at every movement.

The dragon staggered over to Chid, drawn by the smell of his blood. Chid weakly lifted up his dagger and concentrated on the dragon's neck. He drew his hand back and flicked his wrist with all his might. The dagger flew straight into the dragon's neck. Blood spurted from the scaly neck. _I must have hit something vital. Too bad it wasn't enough. _Chid felt the dragon's breath and salty blood oozing into his own puddle of blood. He made a last ditch effort to help his situation. He wrapped his right arm around the base of the tree trunk and swung his body to the other side of the tree. The pain he felt this time had never been so extreme in all his life. He collapsed on the tree's immense roots. _I'm sorry Father,_ he thought. The ground gave a titanic rumble. _Hear it comes,_ he thought, then the Prince slipped into a merciful oblivion.


	7. First Aide

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

*********************************************************************

"Allen stop! I see the dragon!" said Akaro. Her whole being lurched as Sherazade came to a stop. She was clutched firmly in the mecha's blue hand, her body dangling among the trees. 

"I think the dragon's dead, Akaro," Allen's voice came out with a slight tremor in it. Nothing like his usual soothing tone. Sherazade took an enormous leap above the treetops and landed on the cliff.

"Careful!" Akaro warned. The cliff's very unstable. She clutched Sherazade's colossal hands. She wasn't feeling very good after that leap. 

"Sorry," said Allen. Akaro looked down at the dragon, which was only a few meters away from the giant guymelef. _That doesn't look very good at all. I hope Chid's all right. _Akaro felt herself move downward and she saw the ground coming up very fast. She held her breath as Sherazade lowered her to the ground. Her feet brushed the ground and the mecha's hand gently slipped away. She looked at her feet. She was barefoot as usual, and now her feet were soaked in bright red dragon blood. She felt her stomach heave. _There's no time for me to get sick now_ she thought to herself. 

"Chid!" she cried out. She heard Allen hopping out of the guymelef. "Allen! Go down to the other end of the cliff! See if he hid or something! I'll search this side!" she looked back at him. His face was white as chalk. 

"No, let me search this area. You shouldn't see these things," he said. He took a few steps towards her, and then stopped. He looked at his boots and saw the dragon's blood on them. Akaro saw his face go a shade paler. 

"Allen, I'm not going to argue with you. I'm already ankle deep in blood, and the Good Jeture help me, I'm searching this area right now!" she started walking towards the elephantine carcass. "You can help search the same area, or you can cover more ground. It's your choice," she said, throwing her voice over her shoulder. She heard Allen's retreating footsteps and felt better.

Akaro drew close to the dragon, when she stepped on something sharp and hard. She lifted up her foot, and saw a large piece of a sword. She saw the symbol of Freid. It was Chid's. She picked up the blade, and looked at the dragon. She realized that there were other pieces lying around the giant lizard's head. She saw Chid's dagger imbedded in one of the beast's eyes. 

"Oh no," she breathed. She frantically ran around the entire carcass, looking for any trace of the Prince. There was none. She came back around to the dragon's head. "There's nothing, nothing at all," she said. She noticed a large strip of black leather in the dragon's opened mouth. It was the same fabric as Chid's pants. Akaro felt the tears rise in her eyes. her body felt numb, and she took a few steps backwards, backing up into a large pine tree, she sat down, feeling the sticky blood against her back and on her legs. _I'm so sorry Chid. I failed you. I should have stayed!_ Akaro shuddered and took a deep breath through her nose. Her highly sophisticated nose caught the scent of human blood. Chid's blood. She was sitting in it. 

Akaro let her arms fall down by her sides; the blood clung to her limbs like millions of liquid spider webs. _Here Chid, I'll absorb what's left of you,_ she thought bitterly. She opened her eyes and looked to her left. _This is what Chid saw right before that damn dragon got him. _She looked to her right. She noticed a pool of blood that was coming from behind the tree. _That's impossible,_ she thought. She blinked and looked again. It was still there. Akaro scrambled to her feet and darted behind the tree. There, lying in the arms of the tree's roots, was a bloody, battered Chid. Akaro ran quickly to his side. She rolled him over onto his back and placed a hand on the Prince's neck, feeling for a pulse. She had almost given up hope when she felt a slight, steady tremor. 

"Akaro!" called a man's voice. It was Allen. "Akaro, I've found Lorallee! She's unconscious and her head's bleeding, but she looks fine," The voice sounded very close.

"Allen, I'm behind the tree. It's the one in front of the Dragon. Chid's here! He's barely alive! We need to move fast! Hurry!" Akaro yelled. She heard Allen running to towards the tree. _Who's Lorallee? _she thought. She saw a flash of blonde hair, and knew Allen had arrived. She looked up at him. In his arms was a young girl of 8 rotations or so, with a long flowing white dress and long raven-colored hair. 

"Oh Holy Jeture! He looks awful. Akaro, I'm going to go get Sherazade to transport them back to the castle. I can be quicker if I don't have to take you. I'll send Gadeth to get you. He's one of my men. He'll take you back to the castle," Allen said. He took the girl and flung her over his shoulder, then bent down to pick up Chid. Akaro moved out of the way. 

"Don't bother with this...Gadeth. I'll follow you. I'm faster then you think," she said. Allen now had Chid in his arms and was walking towards the guymelef. 

"Fine, I don't care. I'm not going to argue with an insolent woman," he said. He placed the two limp forms on the ground and got into Sherazade. The big mecha moved and grabbed Chid and the girl in its huge hands. _You jerk, _thought Akaro. She then turned and bounded into the woods, leaping from tree limb to tree limb towards Fanelia. 

Akaro was almost to the castle when she heard and felt Sherazade come in. Her adrenaline had pushed her far faster then she ever thought she could go. Chid's name kept running through her mind. She heard Allen call for his Sergeant, Gadeth. She burst through the trees and ran to the side of the palace just in time to see Allen and a tall black-haired man disappear through a side door. Akaro ran to the door and opened it. She dashed through the door and listened for a moment to see if she could pick up the sound of the men's voices. She heard Allen call for Serena down the hall. She quickly sprinted down the corridor and saw Allen and Gadeth walking very rapidly down the hallway. 

"Hello...Allen...I'm here," she said. She was out of breath. The man whose name she assumed was Gadeth stopped to look back at her. He was carrying the girl in the white dress. His gray eyes registered alarm. 

"Are you alright ma'am?" he asked. "Boss, I think this girl's hurt," he said.

"Gadeth, that's Akaro, she found Chid. Keep walking! Serena! Where are you! I need you, fast!" shouted Allen, throwing a look of recognition at Akaro. Gadeth took another look at Akaro and kept walking. Akaro hurried on, she knew she looked a fright. She was as bloody as Chid was.

"Shail! Shail, come here!" said Allen. Akaro looked over Allen's left shoulder. A tall, pale boy with floppy black hair was standing in the halls. He looked to be at least 18. His blue-violet eyes displayed his shock at the bloody scene. 

"What's wrong? Lorallee! Chid! What happened?" he rushed over to Allen's side.

"Never mind what happened, go get Serena, there's been a very bad accident—" Allen's words were cut off by Serena's arrival.

"What accident? Chid! Lorallee! Quick, Shail, get these two into your room, and go call your mother and father. You, Akaro, run to the kitchen and get some alcohol, oh never mind, you don't know where that is. Gadeth, you go, here give me Lorallee. Go get the strongest alcohol you can find, bandages, a splint, etc. You know what I need, go!" Serena shouted. Gadeth hesitated for a second, then gently placed the young girl in Serena's arms. Akaro was stunned. She didn't think that Serena could hold the girl, even though she was but a child. Serena was a very tiny woman. The boy named Shail opened up a room a few feet away from the bloody party.

"Here, put them in my room. I'm going to go get my parents," he shouted. He quickly ran down the end of the hall and disappeared. Allen laid Chid down on the bed and checked his pulse. 

"He's still with us," he said. He picked up Lorallee from his sister's arms and put her on the couch that was sitting by the far wall. Serena quickly took off the Prince's boots and what was left of his pants. Allen made a grunt of disapproval, jerking his head at Akaro, who was blindly staring at Chid's broken body.

"Don't worry brother, I'm sure she's not going to notice," said Serena. "Akaro, if your going to be in here, start helping."

Akaro went straight into a state of automatic motion. She quickly removed Chid's gloves and vest. When his left glove came off, she saw a small nub of bone protruding from the skin. Akaro ran into the bathroom that was adjoined to the room. She quickly poured lukewarm water over a towel and splashed water on her face, then came back out. _I will not break. I will not break. I will not break, _she chanted to herself. She began mopping the dried blood that covered the Prince's face, chest, and good arm. She didn't dare touch his broken arm, nor did she dare go any lower. Chid let out of a grunt of pain when she mopped up the blood on his temple. _I will not break..._

"Chid, you stupid boy. You went and hit your head again," said Akaro. She didn't know how much longer she could take Chid's pain. _Don't break. _Tears started raining down her cheeks. 

"Maybe you should go over and help Allen with Lorallee," said Serena. Akaro could see he had ripped one of his puffy sleeves and had wrapped it around the girl's head. Serena had even used the bottom of her gown to tie around Chid's gaping leg wound.

"No, there's no work to be done over there," said Akaro. She pulled herself together. "I'll be fine. I can handle this." She wiped her eyes. 

"Boss! I've got some stuff," Gadeth burst into the room, closely followed by a shorter, lean man with a large amount of floppy black hair. He had thickly lashed brown eyes, and sported a small goatee. Shail followed him in.

"Where is she?" asked the man in a deep voice. He looked to where Allen was standing. The man moved with one fluid motion and was leaning over the bed.

"Van, she'll be all right. It's a simple bump to the head. She'll probably wake up very soon and be just fine," mumbled Serena. "Gadeth, bring those supplies over here." 

_So that's the King of Fanelia_ thought Akaro. _That must be his daughter. Shail's his son. How in the world is that possible?_ Akaro dismissed the thought. There was more important things to do.

Allen slowly rose and went over to Chid's side, standing behind Akaro. His face was very pale. He placed a hand on the bedpost and leaned his weight against it.

"How did this happen?" the man asked. His deep brown eyes never left his daughter's face. 

"A dragon attacked us," Akaro slowly turned her head to look at the King him. He didn't seem to hear. _I will not break. I will not break. _

"Where's Hitomi?" asked Allen. His eyes were glazed with pain. He took Akaro's rag from her hands. "Go tell Van what happened," he whispered in her ear.

"She's not here. Her mother is dying. She's on...she's on...well, you know," said Van, his eyes darted to Akaro, who had risen to talk to the King. She raised her eyebrows. She knew he meant the Mystic Moon.

"Don't worry, you can trust her. My son trusts her..." Allen said. He broke off. He kneeled by the bedside and mopped Chid's face. 

"Well, there will be plenty of discussion about all this later," said Serena. She stood up, but kept her hands on Chid's leg wound, "His wounds are clean, so now I can properly examine him. Gadeth, you've done surgery before, correct?" 

"Yes," said the big man, nodding his head. His gray eyes were large with alarm but determined. 

"Well, surgery won't be the call of the day, I hope. Everyone, clear out. Van, you take Lorallee down to her own room. With some bed rest she'll be fine. Shail, I want you to stay and keep pressure on this wound. Allen, you go to Freid and inform Mahad that Chid is with us, and he needs to come immediately to Fanelia. I know Millerna and Eries are there, bring them-"

"Serena, I've already missed most of my son's life. I'm not leaving him in his greatest hour of need," Allen said. He looked up from his bloody rag.

"I know, but I don't want you in this room. Go Allen—inform Mahad. Don't fight with me brother, you're wasting vital time," Serena warned. "Akaro, you go clean yourself up. You look like you've been through hell. After you get cleaned, I want you back in here. Go people! Move!"

Allen placed a gentle kiss on Chid's forehead, gathered himself up, and fluidly moved out the door. Van gently picked up Lorallee and walked out the door. Gadeth disappeared into the bathroom to wash his hands. Shail knelt beside Chid and placed his hands on Chid's leg wound. Although the leg was bound, it was bleeding again. Shail took off his black shirt and held it over the wound. He turned to look at her. She was still standing in the middle of the room. _I will not break. I will not break. _She hadn't moved from when she had gone to talk to Van. 

"He'll make it, you know. He's one stubborn individual," he said simply to her, then turned his head and went back to his duties. Gadeth walked back into the room. Serena walked into the bathroom and washed her hands. She came back out and started preparing the supplies. Akaro was still standing. Her arms hung limply at her sides. _I will not break. I will not break_. _I will not break! _Gadeth went over to her.

"Um, Miss...don't worry Miss. Serena learned from Chid's Aunt Millerna. She's knows practically everything about medicine," said Gadeth. He was facing her. She couldn't hear him. _I will not break. I will not break. I will not break. I will not break. _She didn't even lift her vision to look at him. She stared directly at his chest. Finally, his words reached her ears. 

"You think?" she asked. Her voice squeaked. A few tears leaked out, leaving silver streams among her blood-spotted face. She looked towards the boy in the bed. Serena was leaning over him, dressed in scrubs. Akaro felt her knees start to give out. _I will not break! _She stumbled. She felt Gadeth grab her arm. 

"Steady there. It's okay," he said. He put a hesitant, comforting arm around her, still holding her arm. 

"No, it's not okay. If it was okay, Chid wouldn't be lying in that bed," Akaro said. She drew herself up. Gadeth released her. "I'm going to go wash up now. I'm sorry. I guess I'm not good at this stuff," she said as she walked into the bathroom.

"Not yet," Gadeth mumbled, as he went to change into scrubs. "Not yet, but you will be."

Akaro looked at herself in the mirror as she washed her arms. Her face was splotched with Chid's blood. _I will not break. _Her body was completely covered in its ruby sheen from her elbows down. She quickly washed her face, then changed into the scrubs that Serena had left for her. She came back out from the bathroom.

"Good, I'm glad you're here," Serena said. Chid let out a low moan. "Akaro, I want you to take this cloth and hold it over his nose. He's starting to wake up. This will put him back out because it contains anesthetic. Here."

Akaro took the cloth gingerly and placed it on Chid's nose. He moaned again, but soon he was quiet and breathing shallowly but steadily. Akaro felt a cool, numbing effect take over her too as her body slipped into another automatic state. 

"Shail, don't move, but be ready to hold him. Gadeth, hold this arm straight. Akaro, please hold this splint for a second. I'm going to pop the bone back into place. In case he moves, you two be ready to hold him. Okay, now on the count of three, I'll realign the bone. 1-2-3!" Serena said.

Akaro grimly shut her eyes and heard an awful sound of bones popping. Chid's body tensed, but he didn't move. Akaro handed Serena the splint. The woman placed it on Chid's arm and Gadeth stepped in and bound it tightly with some bandages. 

"What will we do about this wound? I think the blood flow is stopping," said Shail. He hadn't moved from his vigil over Chid's leg. His hands were covered in drying blood, and some had been smeared across his naked stomach. 

"Let's have a look," said Serena. Shail removed his hands. " It does look like the bleeding has stopped," Serena said. Akaro looked at Chid's face. His breath was coming in shallower and shallower breaths. She felt for a pulse. There was hardly any movement.

"Serena, Serena! His hardly breathing!" said Akaro. She looked up. Her eyes were wide with alarm.

"I know," Serena said softly. "The bleeding might have stopped, but he lost too much blood. He needs a transfusion, and they're _very_ risky, since they've only been around for a few rotations. You have to match blood types too, and neither Allen nor I match his blood type. We need to know if Millerna or Eries has his blood type. Its AB-, the rarest form around. The only other person that I know that has it is...well...is Van," Serena said.

"Then why don't you use Van's blood?" Akaro practically screamed. 

"Because his blood's Draconian, just like mine and Lorallee's," whispered Shail. He looked at Akaro with curious blue-violet eyes. She knew that he was looking at her for a reaction. She didn't care.

"Oh. I didn't know that. What do we do now?" Akaro asked. She looked at Chid's eyes. They were glazed and his pupil's were huge. _He's not going to last!_

"We use my blood," said Van. He walked into the room. Gadeth looked up from his bandaging. Serena looked at him blankly. Akaro felt like running over and hugging him.

"You can't be serious," said Serena. "We have no idea what your blood will do, Van! It could kill him!"

"I know that. I also know that even if Millerna or Eries has the same blood type, there's no way they are going to get here in time. What do we have to lose?" Van looked at her coolly. "Lorallee's awake, and she said that this young boy saved her life. I'm going to repay him with his." 

"Fine then," said Serena, "Sit down. We have to move fast. He needs at least three pints of blood. Van, you can't handle giving that much," said Serena. 

"Serena, we'll use my blood too. I know my blood type. It's AB+, but as long as he only gets it once, he'll survive," Shail said. Serena looked at him in surprise, then went to a small bag that Gadeth had carried into the room. She brought out a pump that had two long needles on the ends, attached by long tubes.

"This of course are only experimental, but we have nothing else. Here Van, I'll do you and then I'll take Shail's blood, then come back to you? Is that all right?" Van nodded. 

Serena placed one needle in Van's arm. The King was squeezing the top of his arm, making a vein bulge through his tawny skin. Akaro took the other end of the needle and looked at Gadeth questioningly.

Gadeth caught her look and smiled at the arm he was bandaging. He looked up at the Serena and took the other needle that she was holding.

"Here you go darlin'. I know how it works. Let me explain it to ya," he said. "Here, Shail, make this boys veins show!" said Gadeth. Shail placed his blood-soaked hands on Chid's upper arms. Akaro winced as a blue vein appeared in Chid's golden arm.

"I just place it in there, don't I?" she asked, but she already knew the answer. 

"Hold on, I'm going to help you," said Gadeth. He placed his hands over the top of hers and guided the needle into Chid's skin. "Here, just keep your hands on this girl," he said, removing his hands. He walked over to the pump.

"Go ahead Gadeth," said Serena, who was holding the needle on Van's arm. The King was staring at the boy on the bed.

Gadeth slowly let Van's blood into the pump. Van didn't even flinch. Akaro saw the garnet-colored liquid fill the bag. Akaro took in a deep breath and turned to Shail. He looked at her and smiled, then bent down to take Chid's pulse. Akaro tried to smile back, but she didn't succeed very well. She turned back and looked at the pump. It was almost full with Van's blood. She took in a deep breath to calm her heart.

"Serena!" Shail's voice echoed across the room, "He has no pulse!" Akaro felt her heart stop.


	8. Vision

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

A/N: This is a very short chapter, but one of the most important! I hope you guys like this so far, since it is a very roughly written tale. Oh well, we all have to start somewhere! ~_*

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Chid felt himself standing on some hard surface. The smell of dirt and foliage kissed his nose, and a fresh wind blew across his face. He opened his eyes. He was back on the cliff where the dragon had come. He looked for Akaro. She was nowhere to be found. He reached for his sword, but stopped when he noticed that his left arm wasn't broken. It didn't matter however—his sword was gone. He now felt the unaccustomed lightness of the missing blade.

He looked down the cliff. A tall, blonde, fair-skinned woman in a billowing dress was standing on the far side of the ledge. She began to walk towards him, but it appeared as if she was gliding. As she drew closer, her features were becoming clear. _Mother_, he thought. Chid opened his mouth to yell to her, but he couldn't make a sound. He went to run to her, but miraculously, she was right in front of him. Oh, how he wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he missed her, but he couldn't talk. He felt tears burn down his cheeks. He fell to his knees and put his head in his hands, ashamed that he couldn't talk to his own mother. She knelt down in front of him and took his hands away from his face, then wiped his tears away with her gloved hands. She drew him close to her body and held him. He could feel the love radiating from her. It soothed him and he stopped crying. He stood up, and she rose with him, her arms still enclosing him in a protective embrace.

A branch brushed his head. He looked around his surroundings. He and his mother were standing in the middle of the rich forests of Fanelia. He looked at his mother's face in disbelief. She looked like she was fading, and her facial features were beginning to disappear. Her eyelashes were thinning; her mouth had no color. _Mother, Mother, what's wrong?_ he thought. The tears began to flow again, but this time he wasn't ashamed. He was more terrified then he had ever been in his life. She turned Chid around, still keeping her ghostly hands on his shoulders. Thankfully, he could still feel the small weight of her fingers. 

A small woman was standing in between two trees. She had long greenish-black hair and blood red eyes. She had two red dots on her forehead. _Varie_, a shapeless voice whispered into his mind. Chid didn't want to meet this woman. He wanted to be with his mother. He turned his head and started to pull his body around to look at his mother, but he sensed that he should look back at Varie. Chid swung his head back around. 

A tall young man was standing next to her now, dwarfing her in his height. He had the same color eyes, but his hair was aqua colored and had a shaggy, floppy look to it. He smiled affably. The voice whispered the man's name in Chid's mind, but it wasn't necessary. It was a name that he'd never forget. _Folken Lacour de Fanel_, he affirmed. He knew that he should have felt the knot of bitterness that usually came with Folken's memory, but it didn't come. Just immense happiness shimmered in the air that the two newcomers stood in. 

His mother slowly pushed Chid in the direction of Folken and Varie. She walked behind him, her slender, gloved hands still resting on his shoulders. Varie was suddenly right in front of Chid, though it seemed that she had only taken a small step in his direction. Folken was right beside her. The woman reached out and gently clasped his hand. He felt his mother's presence leave him. Her hands weren't on his shoulders anymore. He felt panic rising in him the minute he sensed her leaving, but he couldn't move. He knew that what was going to happen had too, and that it was going to be all right. It was a hollow comfort. 

Varie and Folken stood on both sides of him. Simultaneously they leaned in and encased him in a warm, silken embrace. The minute they both came into contact with his skin large, pure white wings exploded from their backs, but yet their clothes remained in place. Strangely, fear didn't seize him although he could feel them coolly crushing him, suffocating him with their embrace, but the two had released him.

Silently, the suffocating sensation left him, leaving only a weak ebbing of numbness that rang throughout his body. Chid gasped sharply as a piercing pain swept through his body, its epicenter right between his shoulder blades. He fell towards Varie and Folken, spasms wracking his body. Folken caught him, at the shoulders. His hands seemed to initiate a cold, healing liquid to course through his veins. He felt Folken's hands travel to his waist and turn him around. Chid looked through the falling feather's and saw his mother standing beside a far away tree, waving, but she didn't have a face. He collapsed against Folken, and felt Varie wrap her small arms around his waist. Their combined touch healed his pained body, and a shower of white feathers filled his vision. He saw his mother slowly fade away into a soft, white nothingness. 


	9. Saint Millerna

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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Chid opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He turned his head to his right side too look at Akaro. She was curled up in an armchair; her hand was loosely but firmly attached to Chid's right hand. She was snoring softly, but it sounded like a purr. He smiled. _I owe so much to her_, thought Chid. _My goodness, I bet she's absolutely exhausted. She probably had to see more then anyone would have expected of her._ She had been with him day and night throughout the entire ordeal, though Allen had taken her sleeping, exhausted body from the room on a few occasions so she could rest properly and get some food.

It had been seven moons since the dragon. Chid knew how lucky he was to be alive. Serena had explained to him how he had seemingly died, but had been revived by CPR performed by Gadeth and a quick transfusion of Van and Shail's blood. It amused Chid that Shail had donated his blood. The boys' had met each other in dueling matches and Shail had usually won, since he was 3 rotations Chid's senior. Luckily, Shail had quit when he had turned 18, and Chid then became the Champion. Chid and Shail had never become close, but the two knew and respected each other, though Chid was always disappointed that he could rarely defeat Shail. The Duke used Chid's defeats as an excuse to not let him quit his sparring classes. 

_Ah, the Duke,_ thought Chid bitterly. The great Mahad had come to see his son after surgery. He had only stayed a few days, but Chid was generally unconscious, or was feigning a comatose state when he was in the room. The Duke never said anything to him. He just sat there, and Chid only heard the sound of his labored breathing and the metal clinks of his footsteps whenever the Duke left or entered the room. Chid was surprised that the Duke had let him stay at Fanelia. He still couldn't figure that one out. 

"Why, I didn't know you were awake!" said Gadeth, walking amiably into the room. Chid looked pointedly at Akaro. The Sergeant lowered his voice when he noticed the cat girl sleeping in the chair. 

"I've come to change the dressing on your leg and arm, Little Boss," he said a bit quieter. He had taken up addressing Chid as "Little Boss" ever since the Prince had waken up. Chid found it amusingly casual but respectful, but he didn't know why Gadeth felt himself obliged to use a title for him.

"Hello Gadeth," said Chid, "I'm feeling really good today. I think this is the best I've felt yet."

"Yeah, you're finally fully coherent," said Gadeth. "No offense o' course, but you seemed to be out on the Mystic Moon at times."

"Yes, well, I guess that happens when you recover from life-threatening injuries," said Chid. He said the words bitterly. He hated being injured. The Duke had instilled a deep loathing for showing fear or sadness in Chid, which he considered a weakness. Chid knew that his arm would probably be broken for another 15 or 20 moons, and it depressed him.

"Well, don't get too depressed Little Boss," said Gadeth, as if reading his mind. He was unwrapping Chid's leg wound. It had been stitched with heavy black cord, and was "healing nicely" according to Serena. His arm was doing pretty good as well.

"Hey Gadeth," said Chid, "Why are you still here? I thought Allen told everyone to go home." Allen was currently away at the moment, informing the Asturian King that he was taking leave for "family troubles". People almost always assumed his "family troubles" were related to Serena, so usually Allen was left alone about his absences.

"I decided to stay and help Serena. She sounded like she could use some help. Can't expect that little one over there to do everything," said Gadeth, jerking his head at the still sleeping Akaro. "And I like this medical stuff. You and I are lucky Princess Millerna taught me all this doctor crap, 'scuse my language."

"I know I heard someone mention my name," said a feminine voice. Millerna closed the door and walked to Chid's side. "Gadeth, I'll take over. How are you doing today Chid?"

"Best yet," said Chid with forced cheerfulness. He watched Gadeth leave the room. Millerna started to change the wrapping on his arm.

"Well, I though I'd let you know that Serena and I told the Duke that you need to stay in her care until you are in the peak of health, due to the transfusion. After all, those things are only experimental right now," said Millerna. She stopped and smiled at Chid.

"Does he know that I have Draconian blood now?" asked Chid. He hated to think of what the Duke would say to that.

"He's under the impression that Serena gave the transfusion. Anyway, he left a few days ago and Eries went with him. She doesn't like Fanelia for some reason. She says she has bad memories, but I don't understand that. Oh well," said Millerna sighing. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving today, and I want you to know that you don't have to worry about marrying Nidia. I think that's one of the grossest things in all of Gaea, and Dryden and I would never consent to that."

"I love you Aunt Millerna," he said with a smile. Chid let out a great sigh of relief. He'd been thinking of that little predicament throughout her entire speech.

"Goodbye darling, I know you'll have a wonderful time at Fanelia, once you get your health back. You have 3 good medical personal here, so you should be fine." She planted a kiss on Chid's forehead and left the room.

Chid closed his eyes. For the moment, everything seemed to be right in his life. He was getting better, he wasn't going to marry his cousin, and he was away from perfect Freid. He slowly drifted into a soothing, dreamless sleep.


	10. Side Effects and Explanations

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

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The next day Chid awoke in the morning to find Lorallee sitting at his bedside. Shail was leaning standing in the doorway watching her.

"Hello. Your friend Akaro went to go get your breakfast. I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Lorallee," she said, extending a long thin white hand. She smiled at him shyly.

"I know. Akaro told me. I'd introduce myself, but I would think you'd know who I am by now," said Chid. He sat up and took her hand and kissed it. She giggled.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me from that big old mean dragon," she said. "You were very brave."

"Yeah well, you pretty brave yourself, jumping off the cliff to save a baby dragon and all."

"Well, I knew it was going to happen," she said with authority. Chid looked at her in confusion. Out of the corner of his eyes he say Shail stiffen in the doorway.

"You knew that it was going to happen?" he asked with wonder.

"LeeLee, it's time for you to get going. Father's going to leave soon, and you don't want to make him wait," said Shail, cutting the conversation short. Chid felt a small surge of annoyance. 

"Oh, all right. Thanks again Chid. You're the best!" she said. She threw her arms around Chid's neck and gave him a small, wet kiss on the cheek, then quickly ran out the door. Shail scooped her up in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Say hi to Mom for me, okay?" asked Shail. He smiled at his little sister.

"Okay Shail," she said. Shail set Lorallee back on the ground, ruffled her hair, and then watched her run out the door. 

Chid smiled at the obvious affection Shail had for his little sister.

"Cute little thing, isn't she?" asked Shail, walking towards Chid's bed.

"Yes. How old is she? I would think about 10 or so," said Chid. He looked at Shail and smiled affably. The dark-haired boy sat down on the bed and sighed.

"She's 8 rotations. I suppose you want to know how she knew that the dragon cub was going to fall, don't you?" Shail asked, staring at his boots. Chid was glad that he got right to the point.

"Yes, I would like to know," said Chid. He began staring at his feet too, even though the bed's covers hid them. 

"Our mother, Hitomi, used to have visions when she was younger, but I suppose you know that," said Shail. He looked at Chid for affirmation. Chid nodded, and the Prince continued. "Well, it seems that Lorallee sometimes has visions, though it isn't very often. We don't know why she has them, but she's young, so maybe it's a phase and she might grow out of it."

Chid imagined an older Lorallee, long hair and great big green eyes. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The woman in his mind looked suspiciously to Varie. He flinched at the resemblance between the two. He decided to ask Shail about it.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Varie? A small woman with blood red eyes and long raven-black hair?" asked Chid. 

"My grandmother's name was Varie Fanel. She fits that description. She was a full-blooded Draconian. Why?" asked Shail guardedly.

"Well, I...well I, I had a dream about her and Folken," said Chid. He fell into the telling of his vision, leaving out the bit with him crying. He didn't want anyone, especially not Shail, thinking he was a weakling, or that dumb dreams effected him. But, for some odd reason, the vision didn't seem stupid when he told it to Shail. 

As Chid reached the part where he was "introduced" to Varie and Folken, a dull ache began to throb between his shoulder blades. It was in the same place as in the dream. The Prince stopped the tale.

"Well, what happened?" said Shail, looking quizzically at him. "Is everything alright? You have a very weird look on your face," he said with mild concern.

"No. Nothing's wrong," said Chid. He remembered Folken's hands on his back, and the ache dulled. Chid decided to ignore it for Shail's benefit. He continued with his tale, falling into the rhythm and comfort of discussing his vision. As he reached the part where Varie and Folken had embraced him, the pain in his back throbbed unmercifully. Chid drew his breath in sharply and stopped talking. Suddenly, the pain climaxed and he felt as if his back was ripping open. Chid bit gritted his teeth and closed his eyes tightly

Chid saw Folken's face again, and relived his vision. He fell against the man again, and Folken soothed his pain with his great hands once more. Chid felt Varie's cool limbs encircle his waist and chest, but then the dream faded. He could feel the sweet numbness of Folken's touch on his back. 

Chid opened his eyes to see white feathers falling around him. He looked at Shail, to see if the Draconian had sprouted his wings. He was staring at him, his mouth hanging open, looking slightly to the right of Chid. He looked to his right side.

"Oh sweet Jeture," he said, speaking the name of the great Asturian god. Great white wings were extending from _his_ back. 

"The transfusion," Shail said. Chid nodded. He couldn't think. "I'm going to go get Serena," Shail said. 

Chid watched him run swiftly out the door. Chid heard Shail shouting Serena's name down the hall. Chid straightened his back and summoned his strength. He flexed the wings. It was as natural as moving an arm. The great feathery appendages flowed like liquid and billowed like sails in the wind. A few objects fell to the ground as a result of the movement of the air. He tried again, feeling more scared and liberated then in all of his life. He was amazed at how easily he was accepting this great power.

"Chid! What happened to you!" yelled a familiar voice. Akaro was standing in the middle of the room, a wide look of terror and shock painted on her features. _Oh no. This is not how I would have wanted her to find out_, he thought. Chid stopped his experimentation. He let the wings fall, but realized that they still looked horribly intimidating. Chid realized he was shaking dreadfully.

"Akaro, the transfusion did it. It doesn't hurt. Well, it did, but I don't think it will anymore," he said. Chid tried to stop shaking. The room felt so terribly cold all of a sudden. The Prince wrapped his arms around himself in comfort. He realized the wings had involuntarily curled close to his body, warming him up. He felt the heat they were radiating, but he was so cold. 

"Oh Chid, you look like a broken angel," said Akaro. Pain showed on her features. She looked paralyzed, but not by fright. _Maybe she's afraid of me now_, thought Chid._ Go away wings...just go away. I don't want you_. He felt the blissful numbness in his back, and knew the wings were disappearing into his body. He fell back against the bed exhausted. 

"You know Akaro, I'm still human. I'm the same person, except that I'm more scared now then I've ever been in my entire life," he said. He heard his voice shaking as badly as his weakened body. 

Her footsteps echoed across the feather-strewn floor. He listened to her climb up on the bed and sit beside him, leaning against the bed's headboard. 

"Chid, it doesn't matter to me if you turn into a newt. I know that wings wouldn't change your personality. Just because I happen to be half-cat doesn't make me a different person. I of all people should know that," Chid heard her say. He still had his eyes closed. 

"I know. I didn't mean that. I just didn't know what to say," he whispered. He let his exhausted body slide down the headboard. He heard Akaro breathing just above his head.

"Did you mean what you said? That you were, scared?" Akaro asked slowly and softly. She knew how he disliked realizing his weaknesses. 

"Yes," he said with defeat, "Shocking, isn't it?" He could tell voice was barely audible, and it was breaking with fear and bitterness. _Everything now,_ he thought,_ everything is beyond my control._ He felt Akaro put her arms around him. She was warm and sturdy, while he was cold with fear and shaking uncontrollably. She put a small, fuzzy hand on his left temple and placed his head on her chest. He didn't resist to the comfort for once. He circled his arms around her small frame, searching for a sense of refuge from this unaccustomed fear. 

"Chid, being afraid and being able to admit it that you are afraid makes you more human then ever," Akaro said in a low voice. Chid let the words sink in and they soothed his raw soul. His shaking abated and Akaro's warmth began seeping throughout his limbs, and he realized his full weariness. He was (_yet again_ he thought sourly for a moment) losing his grip on consciousness.

"Thank you," he whispered to Akaro. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now." He slowly sank completely into the pillows; his eyes still lazily shut. Akaro got up and tucked him in like a small child. _Don't leave_, he thought with surprising passion. He reached his good arm out and latched onto Akaro's wrist with his visor-like grip. 

"I'm having a strange feeling of déjà vu," said Akaro with a smile in her voice. Chid finally opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Please, don't leave me," he whispered. He looked at her with huge blue eyes. He felt completely open and vulnerable.

"I wouldn't think of it," she said. She slowly lied down on top of the bed covers and curled up beside Chid. She laid her head on his chest and threw an arm around his waist. Chid fully relaxed and let go of her arm. He heard Serena and Shail's voices echoing down the hallway, but he dropped into a deep sleep before they even reached the door. 

*********

Akaro felt Chid suddenly relax and knew that sleep had taken him. She slowly lifted her head to look at the Prince. A troubled yet saintly expression was displayed across his features. She heard peoples' voices down the hall and cautiously picked herself up off the bed and smoothed the covers. She then sat down in the armchair and held Chid's hand in hers.

Serena and Shail came through the door and into the room. Serena's eyes were wide and her face white. The small woman looked at the sleeping boy and her features were soft with fondness. Strands of hair fell around her face, gently framing it, giving her a child-like appearance. _She's really a very pretty woman_, thought Akaro. She hadn't had time to notice before.

"What happened here, Akaro?" asked Serena, breaking Akaro's thoughts. Akaro gave a quick recount of the events, leaving out Chid's jolting confession of his fear. Serena sighed. "Akaro, did he say anything about experiencing pain?" She looked at Chid's broken left wrist and bandaged leg. 

"He said they had hurt, but that was before I had come inside the room. Then he said something really strange, about how it wasn't going to ever hurt again," said Akaro. She looked down at Chid. Serena was undoing the bandage on his leg. The wound looked fine.

"He seemed to be in a lot of pain right before his wings appeared," Shail said, "Which is rather odd, since they usually don't hurt when they appear.

"Akaro, help me turn him over. I want to examine his back," said Serena. The two girls gently turned Chid over onto his back. The Prince uttered a wearied sigh as he was jostled about on the bed, but he didn't wake up. "Well, he certainly is tired," said Serena.

"He all but collapsed after he drew his wings back in," said Akaro. She looked at his back. There was no bruising or discoloration. One couldn't tell that he even had wings, unless they saw the feathers that littered to floor. Shail knelt down to the floor and lifted a few feathers from the ground. He looked at them like a child would an exotic bird.

"Shail, would you please go and get The King? I need to discuss a few things with him," said Serena. 

"He's already left for the Mystic Moon, and he took Lorallee with him. You want to know about wings, don't you?" asked Shail. His body tensed as the word "wings" left his lips. He stood up and sat down on Chid's bed.

"Yes," sighed Serena, "You see, I need to know about them in order to take care of Chid and understand him better."

"I'll tell you. I don't mind," said Shail. Akaro could tell he did. "And anyway, I'm temporarily the King of Fanelia, so here I am to do your service," he said with a slight smile. 

"Thank you Shail, I know this isn't your favorite subject," said Serena. "Please, tell us everything you know."

"Well, as far as you having to worry about wings, Serena, there's no need. If the wings get dirty, one can just retract them. The next time the wings sprout, they'll return as snow white as before.

Almost no medical treatment is needed for wings. If they happen to get burned, broken, or lacerated, the same rule applies. The wings need to be retracted, and in a moon or two any burns or lacerations will have healed. A broken wing will take 6-8 moons to heal. If ones wings are completely cut off, they will simply grow back, in about the course of 30 moons or so, as long as the wings are never revealed during the course of the healing process," said Shail. He took a deep breath. 

"So if your wing was cut by a sword, it wouldn't heal if you unveiled your wings during the healing process?" asked Akaro. 

"No, only when the wings are completely cut off does that happen. If my wing was cut with a sword, I could unveil' my wings as you put it...and my wing would probably be in a weakened condition, and there's always the hazard of it reopening.

Anyway, the reason the wings heal so fast is because they have what some people refer to as...superhuman strength," he spat bitterly. Shail paused as if for drama, but Akaro noticed his eyes were full of dark hurt.

"It's all right Shail, you don't have to continue if you don't want too," whispered Serena. Her hand was absently stroking Chid's rumpled blonde hair. Shail grimaced.

"No, it's fine. It's just that, when I discuss my wings, it reminds me of how inhuman' I am. But that's a personal problem of mine. I'll continue. When an individual is born, their wings are, logically, weak. It takes years for wings to become strong enough to lift a person so that they can fly. Chid's wings probably will strengthen far faster then that however, for his wings, judging by his age, are probably close to maturity. The only way a person can strengthen their wings is through time and use," said Shail. He sighed and stood up. 

"I'll leave the operating of the wings to Chid's ears only. Usually Draconians don't tell others how their anatomy works. If Chid wants you to know, that'll be fine with me, but I'll withhold the information until that time, if that's alright with you," he said. 

"That's perfectly understandable Shail, thank you," said Serena. She looked at Akaro with wearied eyes. _She must have been up half the night, _Akaro thought, _I must have been sleeping._

"Serena, I'm going to watch Chid until he wakes up, okay? Why don't you go and get some sleep, and I'll wake you up when he comes round?" Akaro said. She looked to Serena for a reply. 

"That sounds really great Akaro, but someone needs to be here with you in case he wakes up and is totally unmanageable and Gadeth's still sleeping. He's as worn out as all of us are. We need two people here. Who knows what he's going through psychologically?" Serena said. 

_Well, _thought Akaro, _I would know for one._ She sighed and took Chid's hands in hers, stroking them gently with her thumbs.

"I'll stay Serena," said Shail. He had been standing in the middle of he room, and was fingering the feathers he had picked up earlier. 

"Shail, you have a country to run," said Serena, as if dismissing the possibility.

"Anyone who saved my sister is worth it. If anything really bad goes on, someone will come tell me, and Van will be back tomorrow to take care of it," he said coolly. Akaro could see that Serena was weakening. 

"Alright. I'll go nap. Thank you two," said Serena. She slowly rose from her seat and walked to the door. Shail opened it and bid her farewell. 

The minute Serena was out the door, Akaro stood up and laid herself back down on the bed, laying her head on Chid's chest, hugging his body with one arm. _I don't care what Shail thinks. I'm staying here for Chid_, she thought. Chid let out a small sigh, and curled his good hand around a few strands of Akaro's hair. 

To Akaro's surprise, Shail didn't say anything, only walked over to the couch by the door and pulled it close to the bed. He then lay down, putting his hands behind his head. Akaro felt herself drift off to sleep. 


	11. Shail's Story

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

*****************************************************************

"Akaro, Akaro, wake up," whispered a voice. Akaro rolled onto her back, but kept her grip across the Prince's chest. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked until her vision cleared. She saw Shail's tall, slender figure towering above her body. A cool hand touched her shoulder. 

"Akaro, are you awake?" he asked. Akaro sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Yes, I'm awake. What's the matter?" she asked. She smoothed her dress and combed her hair quickly with her fingers.

"Chid's been mumbling in his sleep quite a bit, sometimes moaning. Come see," Shail said. He slid his hand down from her shoulder to her wrist and pulled her slowly from the bed. She stood up and turned to face the bed. She felt Shail drop her wrist.

"I don't hear anything," said Akaro. The two waited for a few more minutes. Chid remained motionless in the bed. Shail turned and plopped down on the couch. He rubbed his eyes and face with his hands. Akaro sat down beside him. 

"Oh well. I'm sorry for waking you up," said Shail, mumbling through his hands.

"No, that's alright. I should be watching him anyway, not napping," said Akaro. She sighed and leaned against the back of the couch. 

"Well I was sleeping for a little while too. His moaning woke me up," said Shail. He leaned back and put his feet upon the bed.

"You don't look like you've slept in days," said Akaro. She blushed a little, fearing that she had insulted him. Shail threw her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright. I can handle it. It gives me a chance to collect my thoughts, try to remember things," he said. 

"Oh," said Akaro, "What kind of things?" Akaro bit her lip. _I shouldn't have said that_, she thought. Shail looked at her quizzically. 

"My past," The Fanelian Prince said guardedly. "Oh well, I might as well tell you, because your certain to start figuring things out anyway," he said. His voice was laced with controlled bitterness.

"No, that's all right, you don't have to tell me anything," she said quickly. The last thing Akaro wanted to do was make Shail mad. Shail made no acknowledgement of her statement.

"Haven't you wondered how I could possibly be 18? Van and Hitomi are only 25," he said quietly. Shail removed his feet from Chid's bed, and turned his body towards her.

"What? That's not possible. Your parent's would have only been 7 rotations old when you were born," said Akaro. She looked at him confusedly. 

"Exactly my point," said Shail. He sighed and continued. "About 8 rotations ago, I was found in the palace gardens of Fanelia, emaciated and unconscious by Hitomi." 

Akaro gasped softly. This was brand new information to her ears, and it hit a little too close to her own heart. Shail looked at her with his deep blue-violet eyes, then continued with his tale.

"I had no recollection of my past. I still don't. Hitomi and Van took me in and nursed me back to health. They pondered over my extreme resemblance to Van's deceased older brother, Folken Lakur de Fanel. I've seen his pictures, and they've shaken me to the bone," Shail said. His voice was becoming slightly unsteady and was weakening. Akaro was shocked. Shail always seemed to have such great control over himself.

"I've never seen this...Folken Lakur de Fanel. I've heard about him though. He came to Freid 10 rotations ago. I never saw him," she said. Her voice trembled. _Let's just pray that he doesn't ask me about my history._

"Yes well, Hitomi and Van took me in, and I was adopted. I have been Shail Folken de Fanel ever since. They named me after him. How strange," he said. He smiled amusedly. 

"Shail," whispered Akaro hesitantly, "How do you have Draconian blood if you and Van aren't blood related?" 

"I knew you were going to ask that," said Shail. His eyes filled with sorrow. "I don't know why I have Draconian blood coursing through my veins. I could be completely Draconian for all I know. 

When I was first brought here, I didn't even know that I had wings. One day, when Lorallee was about 3 rotations old or so, she fell out one of the castle windows. I impulsively dived after her, and wings sprouted from my back. I couldn't explain it, and neither could anyone else." Shail closed his eyes, remembering. 

"Palas..." Chid moaned from the bed. Akaro shot up from the couch, and knelt by Chid's side. Shail joined her. The two waited for a few more minutes, but Chid didn't say anything. Shail seemed to be very tentative. Akaro knew that he was waiting for a response. Akaro took a deep breath and spoke.

"I know how you feel," said Akaro. Shail looked at her acidly.

"Please, don't say that at all," he said neutrally. His eyes looked wounded.

"My first memories start in the Freid castle. I was raised by the entire collection of servants. No one knew where I came from, or if they did they didn't say anything. I was brought here when I was 3, that's all I know. I have no family whatsoever, and know nothing of my past, so don't tell me I don't know how you feel," said Akaro hotly. She glared at Shail, stood and turned her back to him. She could feel tears of bitterness flooding her eyes. She wasn't going to let them fall.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea," said Shail. He stood and put his hands on her shoulders. 

"I know. I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with the fact that I don't know my own origins," she said. She shrugged off Shail's comforting hands and turned to face him.

"The baby! Where's the baby?" said Chid loudly from the bed. Shail turned from Akaro and knelt beside the fallen Prince. Akaro knelt as well. Chid moaned.

"Do you think we should wake Serena?" asked Akaro. She placed a hand on Chid's arm to soothe him. 

"No," said Shail, "Let's wait a few more minutes."


	12. Dreams and Lessons

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

*****************************************************************

Chid blinked his eyes, and his surroundings slowly came into focus. He could tell he was lying on his back, and the smell of chemicals permeated his nostrils. He sat up and leapt to his feet. The room was dark, but he could make out the faint shapes of glass beakers and measures. _Where am I?_ he thought. The answer came in a flash of white. Feathers floated down all around him, and he felt a cool presence in the room. He turned around, tensed and ready for battle. Folken Lakur de Fanel stood right in front of him, smiling, his wings outstretched in all their ghostly glory. 

Chid smiled in delight at the man's appearance. _Why am I so happy to see the man who destroyed my kingdom?_ he thought. He momentarily frowned, then smiled again. For some reason, he couldn't be mad at Folken for something that seemed to be so long ago. _It wasn't that long ago,_ his logical mind screamed in protest, but Chid ignored it. He felt his wings unfold, but instead of the pain he expected, it felt like a flower opening its petals for the sun. Chid's blue eyes sparkled with wonderment. Folken laughed deeply, his deep voice caressing the air.

Chid walked up to the larger man, grinning widely. _Here they are Folken, just like yours_, he thought. Folken reached out and put his hands on the boys shoulders and the two began to rise into the air. Chid was amazed. Folken's wings weren't moving, and he **knew** his weren't. Chid looked up and saw the ceiling of the place rushing towards his face. He brought his arms up around his head to protect himself. _Folken stop! _he thought. 

Chid felt warm sunshine on his shoulders. He was floating in the middle of the sky, and Folken had a light grip on his elbow. He put his arms down in wonder. _Why didn't we hit?_ he thought. Chid gave up on asking questions. They weren't of any use, because he knew he couldn't talk. He looked down at the ground to see where he was, but bright sunlight blinded him, and he cried out in pain, covering his eyes with his arms.

Chid felt his feet touch the ground. He uncovered his eyes, and quickly looked around. _I, I know this place_, he thought. Women and a few men hustled quickly by, carrying baskets of commodities. _It's the Palas Marketplace_, he realized. Chid felt a hand on his arm. He looked up and saw Folken motion towards a dark alleyway. The man's wings were gone, and so, Chid realized, were his. 

Chid walked towards the entrance of the back street and looked down the darkened path. A young woman sat at the far end of the road, her back against the wall of a sandy building. She held a baby in her arms, and it was cooing. The girl had pale golden hair that shimmered in the darkened street. A glimmer of recognition flashed in his mind. _It's Eries_, he thought with astonishment. His aunt looked only 15 rotations old or so. He quickly ran to her side. Wet streams of grief flowed down her cheeks. Chid wiped them away with his gloved hands. Eries looked up at him, her eyes huge and filled with sorrow. Chid felt Folken's cool, yet warming presence by his side.

Eries slowly lifted up the child and placed it in Chid's hands. Chid lifted the baby, and it giggled and cooed at his face. Chid placed a hand on it's forehead, and smoothed the baby's black tuft of hair. The baby closed its eyes and sighed, drifting off to sleep. Chid smiled in delight.

Chid turned to Folken, and lifted the baby to the great man, who was staring blindly at the wall. Folken slowly turned his head towards him, and Chid saw a tear trickle slowly down Folken's right cheek. He shook his head slightly and looked back to the wall.

Chid looked at Folken for a second, his thoughts confused. He then lowered the baby back down to Eries, but stopped. The baby was gone. All that Chid held was a satin blue blanket. Chid's mind shut down, and so did his body. He froze right where he was. He couldn't think. 

Eries slowly lifted her arms to Chid, and took the blanket from his unmoving arms. Chid watched her, paralyzed. She sighed, wiped the tears from her face, and then folded up the blanket. Chid's stupefied mind suddenly came into action, but his body was still immobile. _Oh Jeture, the baby, the baby, oh no, _he thought. _Where did it go? I have to find the baby! Folken, please help me find the baby. I can't move! Help me help me!_ Chid tried to move, but his actions were futile.

Eries slowly rose from her seat in the alley and walked to then end of the back street. She turned left, then was gone. Chid's body sprung to life the minute she was gone.

__

What is she doing? The baby! Where is the baby? his thoughts screamed. He quickly took off, running down to the end of the alley. He turned left and saw her retreating back, walking faster then a normal human could. He stopped in shock, but quickly began running again.

His feet pounded the soil in a steady rhythm He was gaining on her. _The baby, the baby, must find the baby_, he thought. The chant ran continuously through his mind, connecting with the beat of his shoes. People whizzed by him in blur. He was running faster then he had ever thought possible.

Chid was only a few footsteps away when he heard a soft, whooshing sound behind him. He felt strong arms encircle his waist, then he watched his feet leave the ground as he was lifted into the sky. _Folken, no!_ he screamed inside his head. He watched Eries become a tiny dot on the ground, then gentle clouds surrounded him.

Chid twisted his body around in Folken's grasp. He felt Folken gently loosen his grip to let Chid turn. _Folken, the baby! We have to go get the baby. Folken, you don't understand, the baby, the baby! She doesn't have the baby! _Chid cried in his mind. He looked up at Folken's face, and saw nothing but a sorrowful look in his eyes, his face empty, save one single streak from a tear. 

Chid placed his hands on Folken's chest, pushing himself away from the man. Chid knew that Folken had no intention of letting him go. Folken shook his head sadly, and his arms became limbs of iron once more. Chid tried to slip through Folken's arms and fall towards Gaea. _I have wings, I have wings, let me go!_ Chid began beating on Folken's chest like a child, for he had no sword. Folken let out a sigh, and hugged Chid close to his chest, like a father might have his son. Chid let out a gasp of surprise as Folken readjusted his arms so that they held not only Chid's torso, but his arms as well.

Chid screamed with all his might at Folken, though he couldn't form words. _Folken, you don't understand, let me go, let me go! I'll do it myself_, he thought frantically.Chid tried to lift his arms in a futile try to rid himself of Folken's iron grip. This only led to Chid getting extremely exhausted. He went limp in Folken's grip, and his head fell on the man's shoulders. _Folken, you should have let me gone. I needed too. Eries has a child, and it's gone now, and it's all my fault_, he thought weakly. He closed his eyes in defeat. He felt like a small child. 

__

No Chid, you didn't lose anything, anything at all, whispered a voice inside Chid's head. It was Folken's voice, the voice that Chid had never forgotten. Chid's eyes snapped opened, he dared not to look at Folken. 

__

You can hear me thinking? he thought experimentally.

__

Yes, came the voice. 

__

Why didn't you tell me you could! Chid snatched his head up and looked Folken straight in the eye, glaring with fury. The man's eyes remained impassive, though the sorrowful look had passed. Chid waited for a reply, but none came, only a numbing sensation oozed into his mind, making it difficult to think.

__

Folken, what are you doing? Don't do this—please don't do this! I want to help Eries. Her baby's gone, Chid thought, his eyes closing. _Folken, stop. Please, I have to talk to you. We have to find the baby._ Chid's head fell on Folken's shoulder once more. _No, Folken, please don't. No, no, no..._

"No!" yelled Chid, "We have to go to Palas!" Chid felt hot, searing hands on his body.

"Chid, calm down, Chid," said a voice. 

"No! We have to go back! Let me go!" said Chid. He furiously brushed the hands away. 

"Chid! It's Akaro and Shail! Stop it! We're not taking you anywhere!" rang a voice.

"Huh?" said Chid. He opened his eyes. He was sitting up in his bed, and Shail and Akaro were on either sides of him. Shail grabbed his shoulders and forced Chid to lay down. He didn't resist.

"Hey buddy, it's okay. Just a dream," said Shail. He released Chid from his grip and stood up. _He looks so much like Folken,_ thought Chid.

"What's going on?" Chid asked. His body began shaking all over. Akaro covered him with the blankets, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Her hand lazily stroked his hair. 

"Everything's fine Chid. Nothing's wrong," said Akaro. She looked at Shail. "Shall I go get Serena, or shall you?" 

"No, I'll go get her. It'd probably be better if you stayed and calmed him," said Shail. He stretched his limber frame, then turned and walked out the door.

"Chid, what was your dream about?" asked Akaro. She could tell that it had frightened him.

_Now she's going to think I'm a child. Great. These past couple of weeks have been wonderful._

"Nothing much," Chid said. He saw the accusing look on Akaro's face and decided to retell his dream. After all, she was the one person who he could relate too and not feel stupid.

"Interesting," said Akaro when Chid had finished. 

"What do you think about it?" he asked tentatively. 

"I..."

Shail and Serena walked through the door, cutting off Akaro's words. Chid stared at the two blankly. _Great timing,_ he thought absently.

"Hello Chid," said Serena smoothly. She placed a kiss on Chid's cheek. He saw Shail lean against the doorframe.

"Hello Serena," said Chid. "Serena, where's Allen? I haven't seen him in a little while. I want to see him."

"He's on his way back from Asturia, remember?" said Serena. She sat down on the couch. 

"Oh yes, that's right. I forgot," said Chid. _Why is Serena here?_ he thought. 

"Okay Chid, I want to look at your wings, see if there is anything wrong with them. Unfortunately, I know nothing in the wing department, so Shail's going to take over. We want to see if your wings are the same as a regular Draconian's might be," Serena said. Her voice came out mechanical. 

Chid felt his heart skip a beat. _What are you worried about?_ he thought angrily to himself. He sighed and sat up in the bed. Akaro rose and sat down by Serena. 

"Alright. What do you want me to do?" he asked Shail. The Fanelian heir stood up and walked over to the foot of the bed.

"Well, for starters, I want you to spread your wings. Do you now how to do that?" asked Shail. 

"Uh, maybe. No, not really," said Chid, blushing slightly. _Gods! I feel stupid_, he thought.

"Operating your wings is no different then operating your arm or leg. Just think to yourself, 'I want to spread my wings' in a sense," said Shail. "I know that sounds cheesy, but in simplistic terms, that's how it works. Soon it'll become second nature to you." The tall Prince rested his hands on the edge of the bed.

"Okay," said Chid. He closed his eyes. _Wings,_ he whispered in his mind. At once, he felt the cool, tingling sensation in the middle of his back. Not like the pain before. No, this feeling was the same as when Folken's hands had healed him. 

"Sweet Jeture," whispered a female voice. Chid opened his eyes. Akaro and Serena sat on the couch, dumbfounded. Akaro reached out and stroked a few feathers. Chid shivered at her touch.

"They look fine," said Shail absently. He was wearing a distant expression on his face.

"How well can you operate them, Chid?" asked Serena softly. Her voice sounded like that of an awestruck child.

"Chid, flap your wings at me. Don't try to get out of the bed, just flap them," said Shail.

Chid flicked his wings. It was as natural as flicking his wrist. A light gust of air blew through the room, sweeping papers and fallen feathers across the room. Shail smiled as the air glided across the room and kissed his face, making his shiny black hair blow back from his face.

"How was that?" asked Chid. He grinned. To move his wings was an exhilarating experience. It gave him that sense of freedom that he held so dear.

"Very nice," said Shail, "Now, see if you can curl your wings." Chid looked blankly at him.

"I don't think I understand," said Chid. Shail sighed and took off his black tunic. He stood up and backed up from the bed. Shail looked at Chid's wide eyes as his own great white wings filled the room. Shail flicked his gaze at Serena and Akaro. Serena had the look of a child in a candy shop, and Akaro's expression was still staring in wonder at Chid.

"Alright Chid. Now I just want you to mimic my actions," said Shail. Chid watched as Shail's wings curled around his body.

"Whoa," Chid breathed. He let his wings arch around his torso. It was like curling his arms around his body. 

"Exactly. Now, I don't think you have enough room to do this, but you can make an attempt. Here, watch," said Shail, smiling. He took a few more steps towards the bed, then snapped his wings behind his back, like a butterfly might do. Chid saw Shail grimace as his wings hit the wall.

"Doesn't look like you have enough room either," said Akaro, grinning at him.

"That's what happens when you have big wings," said Shail. He spread his wings so that they took their regular position. 

Chid slowly moved his wings back, careful not to let them hit anything. 

"Is that good enough?" he asked Shail. Shail nodded in response. 

Shail led Chid through a series of "tests" having him move one wing at a time, proving the Prince's abilities with his wings. Chid felt himself rapidly tiring, no matter on how exhilarating the wings were.

"Okay," said Shail, "That's enough. When you start feeling better I'll teach you how to use them."

Chid retracted his wings slowly, feeling them disappear, closing like a flower at the day's end. He leaned against the headboard, too tired for words.

"Thank you Shail. That was absolutely fascinating," said Serena. Her face was aglow with the delight.

"Shail," said Chid with great effort, "How was Lorallee able to lift a dragon cub? I know that I could lift one, but I'm still confused on how Lorallee was able too."

"Well Chid, your wings are basically superhuman in strength," Shail said. His words had an edge to them. _He doesn't like discussing this,_ thought Chid. _I hadn't noticed before._

"Akaro, Serena, would you come here?" Shail asked. Chid looked on as the two women left their seats from the couch.

"What are you going to do?" asked Serena, picking a feather up off the floor. She stared at it in wonder.

"I'm going to lift both of you up," said Shail simply. Chid saw Akaro shoot him a troubled look. Chid smiled in reassurance, though he felt...jealousy?_ Is that jealousy?_ thought Chid. He shook the feeling away.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Chid heard Akaro say.

"Don't worry about it. I can lift both of you," said Shail. "See Chid, I can lift both of them off the ground." Chid watched as Shail scooped Serena in one arm and Akaro in the other.

"I can see that. What does that have to do with your wings?" said Chid evenly. _Don't feel jealous!_ he yelled at himself.

"Well, I could fly for quite along time, holding both of them. It would be a lot more harder to walk the same distance holding both of them off the ground the entire time," said Shail. With that he rose into the air, his wings flapping gently. The air sent shivers through Chid's body.

Serena gasped as she was lifted into the air, but a huge smile lighted her face. _It's nice to see her be happy, _thought Chid. _She has been so professional and cool since I got hurt._

Shail gently eased the two women back to the ground. Akaro, Chid could see, was trying to hide a smile of delight for his benefit.

"Thank you Shail," said Serena. She bent over and handed Shail his tunic. He took it from her and smiled in response. His wings quickly disappeared, leaving a small shower of feather's falling from his figure. 

Akaro ran over to Chid and hopped on the bed. She gave him a large hug, encircling her arms around his neck. Chid was shocked at her boldness, but hugged her back.

"You'll love it Chid. You get to break the bonds of gravity. You have total freedom," she whispered in his ear. She dropped her head and rubbed his shoulder with her cheek. 

"You really think so?" he asked, not really expecting a response. Akaro gave one anyway.

"Oh yes. You know, I'm slightly jealous that I can't pick up and leave like you can," she said. 

"Then I promise to take you wherever you want to go," Chid said softly. He shot a glance at Shail and Serena. Serena was gathering up feathers, and Shail was putting his shirt back on.

Akaro sighed and leaned her head against Chid. _Why is she doing this?_ he thought. But Chid didn't really care. He just loved having someone to hold onto.


	13. Air Escapades

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

** **

*****************************************************************

Akaro sat on the edge of the cliff, looking down. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, her arms resting lightly on her shins. She leaned forward slightly to look down the sheer drop-off.

"Whoooeeee!" came a yell from the bottom of the canyon. Akaro smiled as the sound reverberated around her. _Boys will be boys_, she thought to herself.

It had been 2 weeks since the appearance of Chid's wings. The Prince's arm had completely healed, and so had his leg. The blow to his head hadn't given him any trouble.

Akaro gasped as the two boys flew up above her head, then settling down on either side of her. Chid's face was flushed and his eyes had an exhilarated sparkle. Shail ran his fingers through his coal-black hair.

"I think you have it," said Shail, directing his comment to Chid. "Just don't exhaust yourself. And most importantly, **never** let anyone see you," said Shail sternly.

"Yes mother," said Chid rolling his eyes. He laughed in delight. His wings shook with his delighted cackles, making feathers cascade down on the trio. Akaro raised her eyebrows at his childishness. _He finely went back to his princely polite charm_, she thought. _When did this child take over his body?_

"Akaro, knock some sense into this grinning idiot," said Shail. He stood up, brushing some dust off his usual black pants. His figure cast a shadow over Akaro and Chid.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked. She looked up at Shail's silhouetted form. He looked like the Angel of Death.

"I'm going to go get LeeLee. As much as Meruru loves her, she should be out here, learning how to use her wings too," said Shail. He retracted his wings smoothly. 

Chid reached down stealthily and snatched Shail's tunic from the dirt. He flung it at the Fanelian Prince, smacking him square in the face. Shail let out a muffled cry. Akaro sighed in exasperation.

"See how well you can fly with that!" said Chid. He stood up, sheathing his wings quickly. Chid flung himself on the older boy, knocking him in the stomach. Shail quickly flipped Chid over, but couldn't stop the boy's momentum. The two fell to the ground, though it was Chid who hit first.

"I certainly..." said Shail, tossing his shirt awry, allowing him to speak clearly, "...can't fly with my wings withdrawn." Shail smiled down at Chid in the most condescending way.

"Umm...guys? Have you both given into your testosterone so much that you've forgotten about little old me?" asked Akaro. She stood up and slowly brushed the dust off her short emerald green dress. _Those guys are so weird sometimes_, she thought to herself.

"Well, I don't know about this little mite, but I certainly haven't," said Shail. He grabbed his shirt and quickly put it on. He stood up, releasing a disgruntled looking Chid.

"I'm not a mite," said Chid, standing up. He tried to look evil, but he couldn't help smiling.

"See you, my lady," said Shail in a very thick foreign accent. He bowed before Akaro and kissed her hand. Chid watched on with jealous eyes.

_Now this is more like it!_ thought Akaro. She smiled at Shail, but sent a wink to Chid. She quickly dived on Shail's back, knocking him on his side.

"Tickle him!" she cried gaily. She immediately began tickling his sides. Chid immediately leaped to her side and began tickling Shail mercilessly. 

"Stop! Desist! Halt!" yelled Shail between giggles. Tears slipped out the corners of his eyes. Akaro finally fell back, sighing in fatigue and happiness. Chid joined her. 

"Ha! Don't underestimate seemingly innocent cat girls," said Chid, smiling at Shail. Akaro laughed at the remark, but her heart wasn't in it. _I've got to stop being so melancholy!_ she thought to herself. 

"Yeah well, I'm getting out of here before I'm attacked by silly little children again," said Shail. He tried to say it with extreme disdain, but he couldn't help suppressing a smile. 

"Oh, so now we're children? You're not that much older Mr. Fanel," said Chid. He made a move to stand up.

"Oh no, not again," said Shail. He turned and darted into the forest.

"Good riddance," yelled Chid jokingly. He stood up and offered Akaro his hand.

"Ha!" came Shail's voice. It sounded distant, yet was as loud as if the Prince himself were standing next to them. Chid jumped. Akaro sighed and stood up.

"Hey, why are you so blue?" asked Chid. His beaming smile faltered a little.

"I don't know. I'm just feeling dull today," said Akaro. She shifted her vision away from Chid. It was too hard to look at him. 

"I don't believe that for a second," said Chid. "Come on, you can tell Uncle Chid."

"My, I didn't know my Uncle was so good looking," said Akaro, a bit more engagingly.

"Well it runs in the family you know, and you are certainly no exception," said Chid. He blushed slightly.

_I can't believe he just said that,_ thought Akaro. 

"Yes, well..." Akaro's voice trailed off. She didn't know quite what to say to Chid.

"Come on, tell me! You were all melancholy this morning. I would have thought you've all of a sudden lost every ounce of strength in you, but tackling Shail kind of killed that idea. Give!" said Chid.

Akaro sighed. She knew she would break soon. Chid could be very persuasive without sounding like it at all. _Must be the Schezar genes_, she thought sourly. She took out the note Chid had left in her sleeping hand about a month ago from her pocket.

"Do you remember this?" she asked. She searched Chid's eyes for any recollection. Chid took the parchment from her hands.

"Do I..." he said, his voice trailing off. He read the note with searching eyes. Akaro watched his face earnestly, analyzing every twitch and movement. _Well, he's not blushing. That's a good sign. That must mean he's not embarrassed about writing something so personal_, she thought.

"I think we have a discussion that's long overdue," she said quietly. Chid nodded his head in agreement.

"Um," Chid began, looking perplexed, "and I don't know how to put it into words. I think that you think...wait. All right. When I first met you, I felt that you felt caged by something. Chained to your life unwillingly," said Chid. He looked to Akaro for help, but Akaro fought to keep her face blank.

"I must be wrong though, because you have turned out to be a completely different person than I met that night on the balcony, in Freid" Chid said.

"We haven't been in Freid for a while Chid," said Akaro. She sent her words across warmly, full of meaning.

"Are you saying I was right?" he asked. 

"Out here Chid, there are no boundaries. I can be my true self. I don't have to hide 'me' from anyone," said Akaro. "You said you felt the same way. Was that true?" 

"Yes. I was chained to my role as Prince, leaving no freedom for myself," said Chid. He looked out towards the sky beyond the cliff, his blue eyes distant. "I haven't felt that way in a long time. I've been able to get away...run away from all my duties." The Prince's voice had an edge to it now.

"I should go back to Freid," he said finally, softly. Akaro felt her heart drop. _No, he can't go back, _she thought to herself. _I will never be able to go with him. They'll kill me for abandoning the palace. _

"But you can't go back until your arm's healed," she blurted out. She knew that it was a desperate plea, and a vain one. Chid turned his head to her, smiling ruefully.

"It is healed. Completely, totally, and without a doubt," he said. 

"I understand," she said, sighing, "I was able to break those awful chains, but you can't, and it's not your fault. But Chid, I don't want you to go. I don't want you to be caged like a bird, chained to a wall by your own title," said Akaro. _And I want you to stay with me because I **want** you_, she added to herself. 

"I'll stay another week, I think. I have to go back and start behaving like a man. A man who has to run a country," Chid said.

"A prince," said Akaro absently. Her soul hurt. 

"Are you questioning my manhood?" asked Chid. His words were meant to be humorous, but his voice was dripping with biting sorrow.

"No," said Akaro simply. _I'm losing him. I'm really going to lose him_, she thought to herself. Inside her mind was she was panicked, but her exterior self was calm. 

"You know though, I can't go without giving her my gift," said Chid. His voice was stronger, yet still quiet. His blue eyes turned to Akaro. 

_Those eyes are the windows to his soul, and I can't see into them at all_, Akaro thought. The thought made her want to cry. _And now he's probably talking about some girl he met and fell in love with_, she thought bitterly. Anger and jealousy welled up inside her. She cooled it.

"Who is this 'her'?" Akaro asked softly. She dreaded the answer. Chid stepped up to her, very close.

"It's a secret, but you'll have to come closer," he said. His voice had become smooth and silky. It was an Allen voice, Akaro knew. She wondered how she could get any closer to him, but she moved forward a few inches. Chid leaned down and put his head very close to her ear.

"It's you," he whispered. Akaro involuntarily shivered. His smooth voice tickled her ears, and she was having trouble breathing.

"What in all of Gaea would you want to give me?" she asked slowly, she was whispering too. She felt uneasy. Having Chid this close right now was very disconcerting. Especially since he wasn't wearing his vest. 

"This," he whispered. Chid wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground like a bride, then jumped off the cliff.

Akaro gasped and held tight to Chid as she felt them falling. Air ripped at her frame, making her feel small and weak. She hid her face in Chid's shoulder, but realized she wasn't frightened. She heard Chid whispering something, but she couldn't make it out.

Suddenly there was a great whooshing sound, and the air stopped beating Akaro's frame. She lifted her head and saw that the Prince's wings had sprouted from his back. Akaro felt herself slowly rise into the air.

"Look down," whispered Chid into her ear. Akaro slowly turned her head and looked to the ground. They were soaring in the gorge, beige rocks surrounding them. Nothing spectacularly beautiful, but the intense feeling of freedom was making Akaro light-headed.

"I'm going to kill you for this, but later, when I get done enjoying the feeling," said Akaro, leaning in, her mouth close to her ear. Chid was looking at the ground, but turned his head slightly when she leaned in.

"Don't be so impulsive," he said teasingly to Akaro's cheek. She hadn't moved. _That Schezar wit is really showing through today,_ thought Akaro, smiling amusedly to herself. Chid flew around a few more minutes, and the two simply stared at the sky around them. Eventually Chid landed on a large brown boulder on the other side of the ravine, and placed Akaro down on her feet.

Akaro stood there, thinking. Or at least trying too. Feathers fell around her and Chid, a certain sign that he had withdrawn his wings. Her arms were still encircled around Chid's neck, and her face was inches from his shoulder. _What am I doing? Break away Akaro. Just break away,_ she thought to herself. She almost made the move to step back, but felt Chid press his hands to her back, hugging her close. _Gods, please let him be thinking what I'm thinking_, she prayed inwardly.

"So, you really think I'm impulsive?" she whispered. Her voice was incredibly calm to her. The sound of it almost made her want to laugh hysterically. Chid pulled away from her a little, but kept her in his grasp. Akaro cursed herself silently.

Chid looked at her a little quizzically, then his eyes glazed over for a second, and a small frown etched his face in thought. 

"No," he said eventually, very quietly. Akaro leaned in a little to hear him. 

"It took you that long to think of something?" she asked. That calm voice again. _I want to kiss him! I want to kiss him so bad I can **taste** it!_ she thought.

"No, I just was a little distracted," he said. Akaro noted that his voice was lower. Akaro decided to take the chance.

"Well, I'll have to change that," she said almost silently. She then leaned in and kissed Chid full on the mouth. He seemed slightly surprised, but then kissed her back. After what seemed to be a millisecond, the two parted. Akaro couldn't believe herself. Then Chid kissed her again, and she didn't think a thing about it. This kiss wasn't as short or as experimental this time. His tongue briefly touched her lips, and she could feel passion behind it. His hands ran through her hair.

_I don't **believe** I'm doing this!_ she thought half-heartedly. Chid's arms pulled her in closer, and she kissed him back harder. After a few more exploratory moments, Chid pulled away, breathing heavily. 

"This isn't the place," he said thickly. Akaro saw his eyes were very annoyed that this **wasn't** the place, but she agreed with him a little bit.

"I agree," she whispered. Akaro kissed his neck a few times and felt him shiver in pleasure. She smiled and lay her head on his shoulder.

"I believe I said that I was chained to Freid, did I not?" he asked a little distantly. Akaro's heart sank in her chest; she hugged him a little tighter. _Why did he have to bring **that** up?_ she thought.

"Yes," she said. Chid tightened the grip on her body. Akaro absently ran her fingers through the hair at the bottom of his neck. She liked the way he smelled, like fresh pine combined with something muskier. He had smelled like that in the forest.

"Well, I have more then one set of chains now. I'm chained to you now," said Chid, talking to her hair. He kissed her temple.

"You can't. You're the heir to the throne and I'm a servant. Your father would forbid it," Akaro said. _Why am I arguing with him?_ she chided herself.

"I don't care, and I don't think you do either, Akaro. I'm forbidden to be chained to you. So what? I'm forbidden to do practically anything I want too. I want to break my other chains, but these chains, these forbidden chains, I never want to break," Chid said. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. 

"What in the hell are you two doing over there?" called a voice from the other side of the ravine. Chid and Akaro parted, and Shail was standing over on the other side of the ravine, his hands on his hips. Lorallee was on his shoulders, playing with his hair. A bright smile lit the Fanelian Prince's face.

"Shail, you silly, they're kissing!" said Lorallee in a singsong voice. She giggled hysterically.

Akaro blushed, and Chid stood, his mouth slightly ajar. 

"Perceptive little thing, isn't she?" said Shail. He was laughing now.

"I'll say," Chid called back. He smiled and broke into a fit of laughter. Akaro smiled too, and laughed slightly.

"Well, are you going to come back over here, or do I have to drag this munchkin over to you?" Shail asked. Lorallee beat on his head with her small fists.

"We'll be over there in just a minute," said Chid. He turned to Akaro. "Ready to fly?" he asked. 

"You shouldn't be doing this, you know. Your arm **just** healed," Akaro said. 

"Don't worry. Shail made me catch him, and even though he looks rather skinny, he's pure muscle. That boy is **heavy**," Chid said. He grimaced at the thought. "You on the other hand, are like carrying air. I think you need to eat more," he chided.

"I have a high metabolism," said Akaro with mock indignity. Chid laughed and sprouted wings. He then lifted her off the ground, and sailed into the sky.


	14. Trapped With the Devil

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

************************************************************

Chid grimaced as the heavy thud of Shail's sword came crashing down on his hilt. Chid's sword was knocked from his grasp.

"Damn!" he said to no one in particular. He was annoyed with his lack of skill with his sword. 

"Don't worry about it," said Shail, "You haven't practiced in weeks. You can't expect to come back from being ill and beat me," said Shail. He casually flipped Chid's sword to him. The Prince caught the hilt.

"Yeah, I know that," said Chid. "It's just a little hard for me to accept. One more time?"

"You sure? It's your first day back, you don't want to overexert yourself, especially that arm," said Shail. He said it with concern, but his eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The boys had been sparring in a clearing outside of Fanelia all morning. Chid had been being beat consecutively by Shail, and it was starting to show his angrier side.

"Who are you, my mother?" asked Chid. He said half-jokingly, half in exasperation with himself.

"I don't see a resemblance," said Akaro. She was sitting at the base of a tree, watching the sparring young men. She held a daisy chain in her hands.

"That's good, because my kids will certainly be better looking then this blonde troll," said Shail smiling.

"If you live long enough," Chid replied. He slashed playfully at Shail with his sword.

"Alright. Let's play!" said Shail. He drew his sword up and began hacking away at Chid. Chid finally managed to find his feet and matched Shail blow for blow.

_Maybe I can finally beat him_, thought Chid. He felt his vest clinging to him, sticky with his sweat.

Chid managed to back Shail up to a tree, pinning his arm behind one back and holding Shail's sword hand with his arm. He placed his sword to Shail's neck, holding him there.

"Gotcha," he said simply.

"Not quite," said Shail. He flung himself off the tree with all his might, knocking Chid to the ground. He leapt onto Chid and put his sword to Chid's neck.

"Gotcha," Shail said, smiling. Chid grimaced.

"Hey!" yelled Akaro's voice. Chid turned his head to look at her, as did Shail. A large burly man had picked her up, and he had a white cloth pressed against her face. Her eyes were closed, and her body hung limp.

Shail swiftly stood up, and a man smacked him across the right temple with his sword hilt. Shail's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell to the ground bleeding.

Chid rose. The man made a grab for Chid, but the Prince ran him through with his sword. He fell, blood oozing from his mouth.

Chid turned to run to Akaro, but his arms were grabbed by armored hands. The man who had captured Akaro was nowhere to be seen.

_What the hell is going on here?_ he thought. The hands that held him had Freid's emblem on the gloves.

"Let me go you bastards!" Chid yelled. He tried to wrestle his way out of his grasp, but it was to no use. A white cloth descended on him, covering his nose. It reeked of ether. Chid held his breath, not letting himself breathe in the conscious-stealing odors.

"You'll have to breathe eventually boy," said a voice. Chid struggled uselessly. His body screamed for air.

"Can't we just smack him, like the other one?" said another voice, this one whining.

"No, this is the heir to the throne," said the first voice. Chid finally succumbed, breathing in slightly. The smell burned his lungs, but the oxygen that came with it was welcome.

"There you go," said the voice soothingly. The second one snickered.

The drug was quick. Within seconds, the odors had numbed Chid, loosening his control. He breathed in again, and the whiteness of the cloth overwhelmed him. 

*********

Akaro slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, and her mind felt...fuzzy. _Chid!_ her mind screamed at her. She sat up and looked around her. She was in a dry, windowless room. The cell was very clean, and straw littered the floor except for a mattress that Akaro was sitting on. Two torches burned brightly in the far corners, and 2 buckets had been placed at the very end of the room. A pale figure was bending over it, and it held a cloth in its hand. Shail.

"Shail, what are you doing? Where's Chid?" asked Akaro. Shail turned to look at her. The right side of his face was painted with drying blood. Akaro gasped and stood up, trying to go see him, but her head swam and she fell against the wall. Shail came to her side and lifted her to her feet. 

"I'm glad to know that you're awake. Serena's here with us, and she's fighting reversion. I'm trying to make her as comfortable as possible. I have no idea where Chid is, or if he's even here. Don't worry, he can certainly take care of himself," said Shail. His eyes shone with concern. "Can you stand on your own feet?" 

"Yes. You don't mean reversion to Dilandau do you?" Akaro whispered. She regained her balance, but her vision was still blurred. She shook her head a few times, and her eyes focused.

"Who else would I revert back too?" asked a voice. Akaro looked to her right side. Sitting on the floor was Serena. Her face was tight with pain, and her body was covered slightly with a light sweat. Strangely enough, she was wearing boys clothing.

"You know?" asked Shail. He looked at her unbelievingly. 

"Dilandau destroyed Freid. I live there. I think everyone knows Serena's story," said Akaro. She took the black cloth from Shail. It was part of his tunic, and it was cold and damp with water. Akaro knelt by Akaro and mopped her face.

"Shail, I'm quite a celebrity," said Serena, "Thank you Akaro." Akaro dabbed her arms and chest with the cooling cloth.

"Why are you reverting back to Dilandau?" she asked. 

"Because..." Serena began, but she gasped in pain instead, then went limp.

"She's unconscious," said Akaro obviously.

"She needs her medicine," said Shail. He took off his ripped shirt, and shredded it into long strips. The Prince then took the scraps and tied Serena's hands and behind her back, then proceeded tying her ankles together. The bonds were fairly loose.

"What are you doing? What's this medicine? Someone better explain this situation to me," said Akaro. Her voice was higher then usual due to panic. She fought it off.

"Look. When Zaibach captured Serena, the Madoushi had to change some of her DNA to become Dilandau. Most of her DNA is still her own, but some of it still belongs to him. Every 3 days she has to take medicine to keep the monster at bay, or his thoughts, feelings, and memories overtake her mind. 

When she was captured, she was on her 3rd day and hadn't yet taken her meds. This is her 4th day without medication and he's coming on strong. She's only reverted fully back a few other times, and I've been there with her, so I know what I'm doing!" Shail said in a burst of energy. Akaro saw that the situation had taken the toll on him. He probably hadn't slept in quite sometime.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know. What happened to you guys? All I remember is some hairy brute knocking me out with ether," said Akaro. She remembered the man's slimy skin. She shivered.

"It's alright. I was knocked over the head, and Chid was captured by the use of ether too. At least, that's what Serena said," said Shail. "The dumb guards tried to knock her out with ether. One of side effects of her medication is that she's not affected by anesthesia. Serena remains fully conscious and alert, but she has no control over body, so it remains motionless. They also effect her height, which is why she's so tiny."

"How do you know all this?" asked Akaro. She watched Serena. Her face was placid, yet Akaro could sense that there was some great conflict going on inside her mind.

"I spend a great deal of time with her. She's one of my best friends," Shail replied softly. He looked at Serena, and his eyes were moist. The woman stirred, her eyes opened.

"Shail, I'm going let him come through. I hope he likes my outfit. I chose it just for him," Serena said a little bitterly. She motioned to her brown pants and green tunic. She looked at her bound hands, then smiled wryly.

"Good, I'm glad to see you took the necessary precautions. Don't worry too much, I'm stronger then he is, and I can use all my energy to control him mentally," Serena said. She looked upon the two apologetically.

"It's alright. I know what to do. I've met him before," Shail said with a forced smile. _He's trying to cheer her up,_ Akaro thought. She continued sponging Serena's skin.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," Serena said faintly. Shail nodded, then hugged her close to himself. Serena smiled in amusement. 

"I'll watch over you," he promised.

"You shouldn't have to be doing this," she whispered. Then her great blue eyes closed, and she slept. Shail laid Serena on her side. Akaro stood and walked to one of the water buckets, drenching the cloth with more icy water. 

"Here he comes," whispered Shail. Akaro turned and ran to Shail's side. Where Serena had been just a moment, a boy of 17 or 18 now lay, his ashy hair and white skin blinding in the dark cell.

"Dilandau," said Akaro in recognition. She'd never seen the legendary DragonSlayer in person, just in paintings. He was absolutely, without a doubt, breathtakingly beautiful. His frame was thicker and his face was older then the paintings depicted, but he was still very much the same.

"Why isn't he older? Or younger?" asked Akaro. Shail put a finger to his lips, then checked the boys pulse.

"A person only grows physically when their body is in the physical world. Serena, technically, isn't 25, only about 21 or so, due to the years lost to Dilandau, including some reversions," Shail whispered. He checked the bonds, and loosened them slightly. 

The boy moaned in his sleep, then his eyes fluttered open and he looked around his surroundings. Dilandau's eyes were slightly glazed, but the rose-colored irises clearly depicted that his intellect was fully there. Shail withdrew his hands from the boy's wrists.

"Hello there Dilandau. You're skin is cold and stiff. Are you cold?" Shail asked in controlled friendliness. 

"Hello Shail. We meet again. Don't worry, you don't have to be friendly. You know as well as I do why my skin feels that way," said Dilandau. He smiled icily. Akaro shuddered inwardly at the sound of his voice. It was aristocratic, soothing, and very dangerous all rolled into one.

"What does he mean?" asked Akaro. She looked at Shail quizzically.

"He's fighting Serena. He's under her control, and he's struggling with that. Most of his energy goes to dealing with his energy battle, so his body heat isn't very high," said Shail. His blue-violet eyes never left Dilandau's cold ruby ones.

"Untie me," Dilandau said, with all the authority in the world.

"Not in your dreams. You can't control me Dilandau. We might be trapped in Zaibach, but I'm not a DragonSlayer," said Shail. His voice dripped with poison. Akaro saw Dilandau's eyes flash with the mention of his fallen comrades. Shail stood up and turned his back on the albino, then walked and sat by the door. _We're in Zaibach?_ she thought distractedly.

"Untie me," Dilandau repeated, "Or, when I break loose from this wench's control, I'll..." his voice broke off and his face constricted. Akaro saw his eyes roll up in his head, but he snapped them back into focus.

"Serena," he hissed. Sweat poured off his body. Akaro leaned down to him. She couldn't help but feel compassion for him. 

"Are you in pain?" she whispered. She slowly mopped the sweat from the boy's brow. He froze, then spoke.

"Untie me or fuck off," Dilandau replied. Akaro felt anger well up inside of her. She was fighting to keep her hysteria over Chid's whereabouts under control, and she wasn't about to be told off by some psycho.

"Listen, you gender-bending little pyromaniac, you either shut up or I'm going to go stark-raving mad and claw the shit out of you!" Akaro said through clenched teeth. She heard Shail laughing lightly behind her. "Goddamnit, don't piss me off. I've been kidnapped by a stinky brute, thrown in a dry cell, and I'm worried sick about Chid so don't mess with me!"

Dilandau looked at her furiously, but didn't say anything. Akaro placed her hands on his arms and pulled him upright. His skin was like cool porcelain. Dilandau sat up practically automatically, his body rigid to her touch.

"Don't touch me," he said without emotion. His voice was ragged and dry. He shivered a little. Akaro took away her hands, then walked over to one of the water buckets, grabbing the one with the ladle into it. She drenched the cloth again, but in the other bucket. Shail watched her curiously, holding his bleeding head.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Akaro threw him the cloth.

"He's thirsty, and you need to get some rest and clean up your face. I'm very, very close to a breakdown, so I think it would be best to keep myself busy," said Akaro with all the sweetness she could muster. She walked to Dilandau and sat by him. His eyes were half-lidded, his body poised. For what she didn't know. 

"I'm not thirsty," said Dilandau absently. His lips were dry, and so was his skin.

"Shut up. Your body, not to mention Serena's, has lost a lot of water do to sweat. You're parched and I can tell," said Akaro in an exasperated voice.

"I don't want it," he said again in that authoritative voice of his. He enunciated each letter, making his lips spit the words. He winced sharply, and doubled over in pain. Akaro supported him the best she could, and Shail came over, the cloth wiping away the last of the drying blood.

"I suggest you drink, Dilandau. Don't punish your body," said Shail. His voice sounded relatively concerned. Shail looked at Dilandau, who was breathing hard with pain. He crouched before the soldier for a few moments, then sighed and returned to his place by the door.

"You can't destroy me. I am you, and you are I. We're locked Serena," Dilandau said almost lovingly. Dilandau sat back up, panting. "I think I'll have that drink of water now," he said.

Akaro ladled the water to his lips, and Dilandau drank it in small sips. As he drank, Akaro noticed a thing white line on Dilandau's right cheek. She'd hadn't noticed it before. When he was done she set the bucket aside and sat beside him. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, his hair falling in his face.

"Is she hurting you badly?" Akaro asked. She wanted to reach out and brush away some hair that had fallen in Dilandau's eyes, but she knew better.

"She's only hurting herself," he said softly, not moving. Akaro felt him tense in anticipation of pain, but relaxed when none came.

Dilandau opened his eyes finally, and stared at Shail across the room, as if he were a scientist studying a new specimen. 

"He looks so familiar," said Dilandau almost silently. His voice was so different. "Maybe it's just the surroundings," he murmured. Akaro puzzled at these words.

"What are you talking about?" she asked him. Shail looked up from where he was sitting, the bloody black cloth in his hands. Dilandau's eyes widened.

"No...you're...it can't be..." Dilandau whispered. His wine-colored eyes sparkled. "Strategos!" he called out. A violent wave of pain shook him. Dilandau arched his back, his teeth clenched, then passed out, falling onto Akaro. She caught him in her lap. He was heavier then she expected.

"What the..." she murmured, her voice trailing off. She saw Shail coming over to her side. She brushed the hair from Dilandau's face, and looked at him. Physically, he seemed to be unharmed. His face was more relaxed now. _Truly a Devil with an Angel's face_, Akaro thought.

"Here, let's lay him on the mattress," said Shail. He slid his arms under Dilandau's unmoving frame and lifted him up from Akaro. He walked slowly to the other corner of the room, then laid the boy on the mattress. Shail sat down beside him, leaning his head back against the stone wall. Akaro went and sat beside him.

"You need to go to sleep. There's no point in guarding a locked door. We are not in control of the situation here. Not to mention that you look **really** burnt out and weak," Akaro said. She could tell that the fatigue was getting to her too

"I'm just woozy from losing too much blood. I think I'll be okay. If only my damn head would stop throbbing!" Shail exclaimed. "You're right though." Shail sighed then lay down on the mattress, placing his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling for a little while, but his eyelids gradually drooped down, and finally he slipped off to sleep.

"You silly chivalrous fool. I know you'd never admit it, but you are," chided Akaro. She brushed some of Shail's hair fondly. _What is my obsession with hair?_ she thought amusedly to herself. _Because you've always liked Chid's hair so much_, a voice answered in her head.

Akaro gripped her chest as a wave of sorrow washed over her. Tears spilled from her eyes. She hadn't cried over anything that had happened this past month, and she was proud of that. But now, she couldn't control her emotions. Everything that had ever happened to her ran through her mind, and hit her very hard.

Akaro doubled over, her sobs racking her body. She stuck her paw to her mouth, smothering her cries. After a few more minutes, she calmed herself. She lowered her body to the mattress, placing herself between Dilandau and Shail. She had a feeling that Dilandau was a bit more appreciative of her then the Fanelian Prince, and would be less homicidal if he woke up to her face and not Shail's. 

Akaro lay on her side, facing Dilandau. Tears dripped off her face, wetting the pillow. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. Dilandau opened his eyes at the sound.

"What are you crying about?" he asked. His voice was soft, and his eyes had lost the their usual iciness. Akaro looked at him in confusion then wiped her tears away.

"Everything. My life in general. When did you become a caring person?" asked Akaro. She looked at Dilandau in complete bewilderment. 

"I've watched what you had to go through. You surprised me. You've been stronger then I expected you were," he whispered. "Stop crying. Chid is alive. You have a life, something I don't."

Dilandau closed his eyes. Akaro watched him until she felt his breathing slow and his body relax. Only then did she close her eyes and drift into sleep.


	15. Interrogation

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

*****************************************************************

Chid awoke to feel of a hand caressing his cheek. He felt his hands tied behind his back, and he was sitting in a chair, his head bowed. Chid didn't open his eyes. Whoever was touching his face, he certainly didn't want to let on that he was awake. _What if it's Akaro?_ he pondered. 

Chid snapped his eyes open, but didn't move his head. He flicked his eyes about the room, taking in the surroundings. He realized that they were in the room of the ancient Lord Dornkirk. Chid could see the decrepit apparatus that had held the old scientist from the corner of his eyes. _They took me to Zaibach? Those guards were Freidian. Why the hell am I in Zaibach?_ he thought.

Slowly, Chid raised his head to look at the fact of his captor. Looming in the darkness was the face of Mahad, the Duke of Freid. He was sitting on a wooden chair, his one good hand caressing Chid's cheek. 

Chid ran his eyes over the Duke's body, seeing only cold, contoured metal. After the fall of Freid, the only way to save Mahad was to replace his torso and legs with bionic appendages. Now the only thing that was human about the Duke was his neck, head, and left arm. Even the blood that flowed his through his veins was artificial. It was that blood that had changed Mahad's personality.

"Those guards, who attacked us, were from Freid. What's going on? Have you been captured too?" asked Chid. He didn't think Mahad had been captured, and hoped that the Duke would just lie to him and agree. Chid felt the Duke's hand stiffen against his face.

"You would choose **him** over me?" Mahad says softly. His voice was a deep monotone.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" said Chid, equally as soft. 

"You would choose a lowly Knight and a worthless cat girl over your country? Your family?" Mahad repeats. His eyes burned into Chid's, and he saw them spark at his biting comment. Chid fought for control.

"Allen and Serena are **my** family," Chid said matter-of-factly. Mahad withdrew his hand, then hit him hard in the mouth. Chid let his head roll with the blow, not only as to reduce the pain, but to save his teeth. Chid felt his teeth clack together and his tongue erupted in pain. He had bitten his tongue. Hard. Chid also felt his lip split. 

Chid finally brought his head back around to look at Mahad, his head swimming with pain. He felt blood filling his mouth. He turned to the side and spit it out. It was useless, for his mouth just filled up again. Chid spat for a second and third time, and finally the flow stopped. 

"Allen isn't worthy to be a father. I've raised you, not him. And Serena destroyed Freid. That's your country if you remember," said Mahad. His eyes were on fire.

"That was Dilandau," said Chid impassively. He expected another hit and braced his body. He felt blood drip down from his mouth when he spoke. Mahad's eyes shone bright for a second more, then cooled.

"Same difference," the Duke said. He relaxed in the chair. Chid merely sat still, not knowing what to say, letting the blood course down his chin and neck from his split lip.

Mahad reached out, this time with his bionic left arm, and tenderly wiped the blood away from Chid's chin. Chid pretended not to notice, for he could tell that Mahad was waiting for him to respond to the horror of his bionic arm.

Chid slowly flicked his tongue out of his mouth, licking away the last of his crimson blood. _I am not afraid of you,_ he said to himself.

"Why am I tied up?" Chid asked eventually. He shook some golden hair out of his eyes. His lip had momentarily stopped bleeding.

"You are being charged, by me, as a traitor to Freid," said Mahad. His eyes bore into Chid, showing only smug iciness. Chid couldn't believe his ears.

"Have you gone crazy?" he asked sincerely, "I am the **Prince** of Freid." 

Mahad's eyes rolled wildly at the comment. His left arm shot up and smacked Chid over the head with a sharp slap. The Prince felt cold medal strike his head, and felt his body tilting towards the ground. He braced himself, and the chair hit the ground. Chid let his rigid body relax when he realized his body was out of harms way. His vision swam, black shadows falling sporadically over his vision. Chid heard Mahad say something, but it sounded the Duke was a million miles away. 

Chid felt the Duke grab him and right his chair. His head erupted in pain at the sudden movement. He heard himself moan in pain, and then felt hot blood pour from his mouth. _Not again,_ he thought. Chid let his head roll back to ease the pain, but he choked on the blood. He turned to his side and spit it out, seeing it drip onto the floor. The Prince turned back to Mahad, regarding him with glazed eyes.

"Be careful Chid," said the Duke, "I have your aunt, the Fanelian prince, **and** your sex kitten. Only your words keep them alive."

Chid tried to reply, but only managed to cough up more black-red blood. His head pounded with every convulsion. 

"You abandoned your country Chid. You can't deny that," Mahad said. The Duke dragged his chair close to Chid, then turned it around. With a swish of his golden robes he sat down, resting his face upon his folded arms.

Chid looked at his face, and could sense an oncoming interrogation. _Just play along with him. You have to save Akaro, Shail, and Serena_, thought Chid. Chid spat more blood, then turned to Mahad and began to speak.

"You're right. I can't disagree with you. But before you pass judgement on me other innocent persons, let me tell you my reasons," Chid said slowly. He stressed the word "innocent" very slightly, hoping to subconsciously to persuade the Duke. His throat felt thick with blood, but he could talk now without spitting up the vital liquid.

"Alright Chid. Tell me your tale," Mahad replied. He settled more into his sitting position

"I had been feeling anger towards Allen for quite sometime, for he hasn't been a very good father, and the announcement of my arranged marriage put me over the top," Chid began coolly. 

"So you had to go tell him in the middle of the night?" asked Mahad sarcastically. His eyes were full of pompous disbelief.

"I left on an impetuous, childish impulse. Rotations of controlled frustrations erupted. For some odd reason, Akaro, the cat girl, followed..." said Chid. He stopped and spit out some clotting blood. His tale was coming along well.

"She just came without any encouragement?" said Mahad. "I find that hard to believe."

"I don't know her reasoning. After all, she's a demi-human. If you want to know, ask her," said Chid evenly.

"All in good time," said Mahad impassively. Chid looked at him in confusion, but decided to continue his lie. He saw that the Duke was actually buying into it. The Prince smothered a laugh.

"I admit that I became infatuated with her, but that ended when that damn dragon attacked me. My priorities have finally fallen into place. I want to come back and serve my country. As a man, not the stupid boy I was when I left," Chid said. His mind was running out of ideas. He was relieved to see that the crazed state Mahad was in was also a more gullible one.

Mahad silently regarded the blue-eyed Prince for a moment, his eyes searching for a sense of fallacy. Chid locked his features into an indifferent expression. 

"Would you...would you leave this, Akaro for Freid?" the Duke finally asked him. His voice was, for once, sincere. Chid took a deep breath and felt blood trickle down his throat.

"In a heartbeat," he said. _Akaro forgive me,_ he thought to himself. The blood tickled his throat, making him want to cough.

"One last question. Was she any good?" Mahad asked. His eyes shone brightly in the dark room. Chid was dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?" he asked, true confusion ringing in his words. Mahad laughed a little.

"You know what I mean. In bed..." said the Duke. He chuckled slightly. _You disgusting male chauvinist psychopath,_ Chid thought to himself, though he responded right on cue.

"The best," Chid said as lightly as he possibly could. He felt practically sacrilegious in saying the words. Mahad laughed deeply, his icy, booming voice filling the ancient throne room.

"Then you are a man," he said. The Duke stood up. He leaned over Chid and untied his hands and feet. Chid stood up then, leaning against the chair for support. His head pounded from the Duke's pummeling blows. The Duke smacked him on the back good-naturedly, causing Chid to cough repeatedly. Luckily, he noticed, only a small amount of blood came with the body-rattling hacks.

Mahad stood silently, not helping him. However, a bright smile lit his face, and Chid took that for a good sign. Finally, Chid stood up and wiped his mouth with a gloved hand. He rubbed his wrists, which were raw from the tightness of the ropes that had bound him only a few seconds ago.

"Now, just one last test of loyalty," Mahad said.

"What would that be?" Chid replied. He gingerly touched his split lip.

"We're going to go visit your friends, and then you have to make a choice," said the Duke. He looked at Chid. The blue-eyed boy froze. 

"What choice is that?" asked Chid, though he was pretty sure he knew. He dropped his hand.

"You're going to choose between them and your country," Mahad said simply. Chid's mind went blank.

"What are you going to do?" Chid finally asked softly. His voice was hardly a whisper.

"Kill them," Mahad said, as if the idea was common knowledge.

****


	16. Helpful Demons and Fallen Angels

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

***********************************************************************

Akaro awoke to a large booming noise and voices. She halfway felt, halfway saw Shail dash from the mattress and throw himself against the door. Akaro scrambled to her feet.

"What's going on?" she asked. She ran over and pressed all her weight against the door.

"We have to keep them out or they're going to kill us," Shail said grimly. "Call it a hunch."

Akaro braced her arms against the corner of the wall, her back on door. Dilandau was sitting up on the mattress, obvious displeasure in his eyes. He wanted to be helping.

"Damn me!" Shail exclaimed. His breath was coming in ragged breaths that were loud enough to be heard over the guards' cries. Akaro could tell he was still weak from the lack of blood in his veins. A huge push came from the door, and Akaro winced as her back absorbed some of the force.

"You're to weak Shail," called out Dilandau. His eyes were wide. Shail grimaced in pain.

"Just watch," Shail said. He closed his eyes and his wings sprouted from his back. Shail put all his waning strength into holding the door.

"That won't last long enough," Dilandau said, watching him skeptically. Akaro glanced at Shail. As much as she hated to admit it, Dilandau was right. The Fanelian Prince was so weak that even his angel wings couldn't keep the door closed for much longer.

"We can't just give up Dilandau," Akaro said. She closed her eyes as another blow rippled through her body.

"Do you want to live?" Dilandau asked frankly. His red-eyes met her own. _That's it, I thoroughly **hate** his eyes,_ Akaro said to herself. But she couldn't look away.

"Yes," she said.

"Then untie me," Dilandau said. 

"Don't listen to him!" Shail yelled. His face was contorted with pain. Akaro looked from Shail to Dilandau.

"I won't hurt you. I have a will to live, just as you do!" Dilandau said. His voice was like crushed velvet. Akaro moved to go to the ash-haired boy. Shail caught her arm.

"No," Shail hissed. "He's too unpredictable. Don't listen to him!"

"Fuck Shail, I'm strong! Stronger then you, and that's what you need! Don't condemn us—Akaro, you, me and **Serena** to death!" Dilandau said. He spoke more rationally then Akaro thought possible for him.

"Shail, we have no choice!" Akaro said. She broke from Shail's grasp and ran to Dilandau. She leaned over him and ripped through the cloth that bound his hands with her claws, then did the same to his feet. Dilandau smiled and stood up. Akaro backed away a little. He was a lot taller then she thought he was, but his eyes looked the same. Bloodthirsty.

"Let them in," Dilandau said, directing his words at Shail.

"Don't be stupid Dilandau. We have no weapons, and we don't know how many there are of them," Shail said. His voice was ragged, and feathers were falling to the ground as his body shook with the blows.

"Shail, I am a soldier, a commander. I also am the strongest person here, therefore I am in charge. Now, you can accept this and let those bastards in, or..." Dilandau said, breaking off. He stepped to Akaro and picked her up with one arm around her waist. She gasped as Dilandau held her above the ground, her back against his cold chest. A delicate finger traced her collarbone and stroked her throat. _What in the hell is he doing,_ she thought frantically.

"...or I can use Akaro's life for bargaining," said Dilandau, finishing his sentence. The DragonSlayer smiled as sweetly as he could at Shail. The Fanelian Prince glared at him bitingly. "Now step away from that door and let them in."

"Why should I trust you?" Shail said. He seemed to be unbelieving of Dilandau, but his eyes showed he was bluffing. Shail retracted his wings.

"Well, Number 1, you have no choice, and Number 2, I'm sworn to protect you, and I don't back down on my word," Dilandau called out. Shail looked at him in complete confusion. He weakly stepped back from the door, just as it swung open. It threw Shail against the wall, and he crumpled against it. Three guards ran into the room, their swords drawn.

Akaro felt her body drop to the ground. The soldier released her body, and Akaro stood on her own two feet. Dilandau bent down and placed a numbing kiss on her cheek, then stepped in front of her. The cat girl almost fell over at the touch of his lips.

"Hello," Dilandau said. The guards froze at the sound of his voice. Their eyes looked up and down, catching the flashing wine-colored eyes and insane smile. "Come on, come and get me," Dilandau cooed. His voice seemed to ripple through the room. _That voice could make an army fall_, Akaro thought. She shivered.

A tall, dark-haired guard seemed to snap out of his shock first. He flexed his shoulders.

"Come on men," he said gruffly. He ran at Dilandau, his sword poised to skewer him. Dilandau stood his ground, awaiting the man's arrival. At the last second, he leapt to meet the guard, taking him by surprise. Dilandau's hand shot out, his fingers wrapped around the other man's sword's hilt. The silver-haired boy jerked his arm back, whip-lashing the guard's arm. A large cracking noise rang through the air, and the guard crumpled. 

Dilandau leapt to meet the second guard, who had taken just a few steps to come to his comrade's aid. _That's the man who kidnapped me,_ Akaro thought. Dilandau thrust the sword neatly through the man's heart, then grabbed the guard's belted dagger as he fell. The DragonSlayer looked to the third man, who was running from the room. Dilandau laughed maniacally, aimed the dagger, and threw it at the retreating man's back. The blade hit the back of the soldier's head, imbedding it deeply in his skull. 

Akaro quickly ran to Shail's side, the danger gone. His eyes were open, but his stare was blank. The black-haired boy made no acknowledgement to Akaro's presence. She decided not to make any judgements. It took a lot to unhinge Shail.

Dilandau turned to the first soldier, who was lying on the floor. Akaro saw a look of pure agony on the albino's face, but it was quickly gone.

"Damn you..." Dilandau muttered. "Where's Chid?" he asked the fallen guard. He looked piercingly at the guard, tilting his head slightly, making his silver hair glitter in the room.

"I'm not telling you anything," replied the wounded man. His brown eyes were full of fear.

"Really?" said Dilandau. With a swift, graceful motion he raised his sword and severed the man's ear completely from his head. Akaro gasped and reflexively hid her head in her arms. Shail absently placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. _He's even chivalrous on autopilot_, Akaro thought distractedly. She pulled herself together.

The guard screamed, and Akaro looked up. Dilandau smiled almost motherly, then bent over the man, dipping a pale finger into the huge, pooling blood. Dilandau straightened and looked at his crimson finger. He laughed delightedly, then licked the blood from his hand. 

"Now, be a good boy and tell me where the Prince is," Dilandau commanded. 

"Dornkirk's old throne room," the guard gasped. His eyes looked at Dilandau pleadingly. 

"Thank you," Dilandau said. He leaned over the guard. "To help your pain," he said. Metal flashed, and Dilandau slit the guard's throat. Akaro shook violently.

"Sweat Gaea," Shail breathed. Akaro looked at Shail. His blue-violet eyes were pained. 

Dilandau walked over to the second, skewered guard and delicately plucked the sword from the corpse's fingers. He tossed it at Shail. Akaro ducked, but Shail simply reached out and caught it. Shail stood up, and pulled Akaro up with him. She felt sick.

"Let's go get him," Dilandau said. He turned walked out of the room. Shail followed, shaking his head. Akaro numbly walked along, but stopped at the body of the third guard. She stopped, bent down, and pulled the dagger from his skull. _I can't believe I'm doing this_, she thought to herself. She turned and stood up. Shail stopped and looked at her, then reached out and grabbed the retreating albino by the arm. Dilandau stopped and turned around.

"You're stronger already," he said with a smirk. Shail ignored the smirk.

"Serena only released you momentarily, and you were stronger then I've ever seen you. But, now your under her control again, and we are equal once more," Shail said with fake friendliness.

"I am equal to no one," Dilandau said. His voice was deathly cold. 

"What did you mean?" Shail asked softly, letting Dilandau's pompous comment slide. "What did you mean about your oath."

Dilandau looked at him blankly then slowly pulled his arm from Shail's grasp. He turned and began walking briskly down the hall. Shail ran after him, Akaro followed at his heels. She couldn't think. 

"I made a promise to protect your father," said Dilandau. He kept up his brisk pace, leading the trio through a maze of darkened tunnels. "I failed him, and I'm not going to fail his son," Dilandau finished.

"You know who my father is?" Shail asked. The group had reached the opening of the hallway. Dilandau whipped around with such fierceness that Akaro actually flinched.

"He was **my** Strategos!" Dilandau said softly, his voice full of emotion, "He was the only one whoever understood me! I could relax in his presence, forget my problems for a few short moments. He was, in a word, **my** father," Dilandau said. He laughed a little wryly. "He was my guardian angel." Dilandau motioned a dark, cherry stain on the floor."And this," he whispered, "this where the angel fell." 


	17. Emotional Milestones

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

*********************************************************************

"Come with me," Mahad said, grabbing Chid firmly by the arm. The Prince was frozen where he stood. _He can't be serious. He wouldn't kill them. He can't kill them_, Chid told himself. He looked blindly at the hand on his bicep. _I have to go with him. Act as if everything he just said is logical_, Chid thought. 

"Yes sir," he replied mechanically. He allowed Mahad to pull him from where he stood. 

The Duke led him to the edge of the room, and stopped in front of a dark hallway. Chid turned and looked at him unemotionally. 

"Don't try anything dumb. I think your smarter then that, despite your recent actions," Mahad said. The Duke then stepped into the gloominess of Zaibach's halls, Chid at his side. They walked down the narrow winding tunnel moderately. About half a dozen guards fell in step with the two as they walked.

"Where are we going?" Chid asked. He didn't know the ruins of Dornkirk's layer very well, despite the fact that he had secretly played here occasionally when he was younger.

"To the prisoners' cell. Your friends are there. Don't worry, they're being well taken care of. I have 3 guards with them right now," the Duke said. His voice was cheerful and demented at the same time. It sent shivers through Chid's spine. The Prince stifled them as best he could. He glanced around at the guards. They stonily ignored him or didn't notice his subtle glances. 

Finally the group turned the corner, and Chid felt his stomach lurch. Lying on the ground was a guard, a pool of blood spilling from the back of his head. The guard next to Chid put a sword in front of Chid to keep him from the room. Mahad also was placed under protection. _Oh my god. Where is Akaro? Where is Shail? Akaro!_ Chid thought. He shoved the guard aside and charged into the room. He looked around frantically. Two soldiers were lying on the ground, crimson blood pooling around the bodies. The spilled fluids clung to Chid's boots. There was no sight of Akaro, Shail, and Serena.

"You stupid boy! Have you forgotten everything? Someone could have killed you!" Mahad's voice rang across the empty cell. Chid turned and looked at him.

"They're gone," the Prince said simply. Mahad looked down at the body in front of him. Chid turned and knelt by the corpse farthest in the room. Chid checked for a pulse out of habit. A small object lay next to the man's head. Chid reached out and picked the bloody thing up. It was his ear. 

_Gods Shail, what did they do to get you into this kind of fury?_ Chid thought to himself. He flicked the ear away disgustedly. The man's throat was slit, and his arm was broken, almost torn from his body. 

Chid jumped as a hand encircled his arm, pulling him up off the ground. The Duke held him.

"We need to go, come on," Mahad said. He turned and walked out of the room, releasing Chid when he crossed the threshold. "Guards, search and find the prisoners. You will meet me in the gardens," Mahad commanded. The guards drew their swords and ducked out of sight, fading with the shadows. Chid started to walk down a tunnel, but the Duke grabbed him. 

"I'm going to go and help them. The quicker we find them the quicker we get this ordeal over with," Chid said, knowing the Duke needed an explanation. 

"I don't think so. You're coming with me," Mahad said. He steered Chid from the tunnel, then lead him directly into another. He never dropped Chid's arm. The Prince tried to concentrate and think about what routes Mahad was taking, but he gave up as the dark tunnels blended together in his memory. 

Finally, a light shone at the end of the gloomy hall. In a couple more steps, Chid and the Duke stepped out into a blossoming outside garden. Chid was momentarily blinded by the bright sun, but when his eyes focused, he gasped in awe.

In the middle of the garden, stood two Freidian guymelefs. One was an older version, the other a new one. The newer one was Khorinae, Chid's own personal guymelef. The other was the royal guymelef, Harashi, the Duke's favorite. Khorinae was a deep gold color, a gold that matched the color of Chid's hair. It was bedecked with a green cape, and its frame was very similar to that of the legendary Escaflowne. Harashi, however, was an older guymelef, for Mahad had a nostalgic approach to weaponry that Chid could never understand because the Duke's body was practically futuristic.

"What is Khorinae doing here? And Harashi for that matter?" Chid asked. Mahad reluctantly dropped his arm, and Chid walked to his guymelef and stroked the giant armor's leg lovingly. 

"Those are our transportation home. I didn't use the coach for obvious reasons. Freid has no idea your gone," Mahad said. Chid stiffened internally at Mahad's pompous and biting tone, but made sure that his body didn't reflect his emotions. The Prince considered, for a fleeting moment, leaping into Khorinae and rescuing Akaro, Shail, and Serena, but realized that the guymelef would never fit into the ruins. And Mahad still had his sword out and would probably kill him before he even got in the armor. Chid gritted his teeth as a wave of despair rocked him.

Chid turned around reluctantly and walked back to Mahad, who was watching him with careful eyes. Chid hid his own blue eyes. He knew that they would definitely reveal how broken and pained he was feeling right now. He quickly put up a wall around his heart and soul to block what he was thinking. It reminded him of Shail. The Fanelian Prince was, to Chid, the hardest person on the planet to read. He was so enigmatic and private, though he appeared outgoing and sociable. Chid's heart hurt at the thought of his friend, and dashed the thought with a mental fist.

"Well, what do we do know?" Chid asked, finally raising his eyes, confident his emotional state was well hidden.

"We wait."

*********

Dilandau walked over to the bloodstain in the throne room. His face was as smooth as marble. He kneeled before the berry circle, and closed his eyes. His lips moved, but no sound came.

"It was Folken," Shail whispered. He stood as still as a statue. Akaro snapped out of her trance. She went over to Shail and placed a comforting hand on his arm. Akaro didn't know what to say. He shrugged her hand off his arm.

"I don't remember. I don't even remember half my life," Shail whispered. His body shook violently.

"Don't..." Akaro said warningly.

"Damn him! He left me!" Shail yelled. He ran to the blood stained cement, oblivious to Dilandau, and fell to his knees. Dilandau watched him blankly, his eyes half-lidded. Shail bowed his head to the floor, his face tight. He took his rolled his hand into a fist and punched the floor as hard as he could. Shail sat up and looked at his hand. His knuckles were bloodied. He then punched the cement again with his other hand, and then another.

"Shail don't!" Akaro ran to where the Shail was, but Dilandau reached up with a hand and stopped her.

"Let him feel his pain," Dilandau said, standing up. His eyes were still blank and half-lidded. Shail beat the bloodstain with his fists a few more times, but finally stopped and held his hands to his face.

"You fucking coward, You died and left me. Damn you. Damn you, damn you, **damn you**!" Shail whispered vehemently. He took his sword and began pummeling the crimson stain again.

"Dilandau, you stop him or I will!" Akaro said. Dilandau snapped beside her. 

"Stay here, don't come near me," Dilandau said sharply. He calmly walked over to Shail and kicked the sword from his hands, sending it shimmering across the floor. Shail spun, crouched on the balls of his feet and looked at Dilandau murderously. The Zaibach solider reached forward and pulled Shail up by the shoulders, pinning his arms.

"Let me go!" Shail screamed in his face. His blue-violet eyes were wild with fury. Dilandau gently let go of his shoulders, releasing him. Shail stumbled back a little in surprise. Dilandau then reached back with one hand and slapped the Prince across the face as hard as he could. Shail fell to the ground. Dilandau reached for him, but stopped as a spasm of pain racked his body. _What's going on?_ Akaro thought. The soldier quickly overcame it and grabbed Shail by the shoulders again, hauling off the ground. Akaro watched as another spasm of pain rippled through Dilandau's body. Still, Dilandau held Shail, whose face was white from either shock or fury, Akaro couldn't tell. His blue-violet irises were wide with pain.

"Pull yourself together!" Dilandau commanded. His voice boomed across the empty room, but it dripped with anguish. "You are Folken's son. You are better than this!" 

Dilandau cried out in pain, and his knees buckled. His body lurched forward and his grip on Shail was lost. Shail stepped forward, catching him in his bloody embrace. Dilandau closed his eyes and winced. Akaro stepped up to the two boys.

"Don't hurt him Serena," Shail said softly. 

"It's not her," Dilandau gasped. "My genetic makeup, it...it can't handle strong, positive emotions. I'm battling my own self right now. That's why, that's why I hurt so intensely." He then moaned loudly and his body went completely limp, his garnet-like eyes closing. Shail looked down at Dilandau. 

"He pitted himself against his own body. That goes against everything I've ever known him to be," Shail said. He hugged the unconscious soldier to his chest, his hands smearing blood on Dilandau's tunic.

"We have to go Shail, Chid's not here and we killed three guards. Soldiers could be here any minute," said Akaro. Shail sighed and slung Dilandau around his shoulders. Akaro could see Shail mentally rebuilding his composure. The Prince placed his hand on Dilandau's calf, holding the boy in place. His hand left a bloody print on the albino's clothes.

"I've never seen you snap like that," Akaro said. She ripped a length of cloth from her dress and took one of Shail's hands. She wrapped the cloth around his bloodied knuckles. Shail sighed and bent down, dropping Dilandau back on the ground.

"Neither have I. It was stupid. I shouldn't have lost it like that. I didn't know that I could hurt so much," Shail said. He looked at Akaro but wouldn't meet her eyes. His protective wall wasn't yet up around his heart. She began bandaging his other hand.

"No, it's good that you let out that sorrow. You hold everything in Shail, it's not good for you," Akaro said. She finished wrapping his hand.

"You didn't need do that. I can't really feel them right now anyway," Shail said, looking at his bandaged hands.

"Oh, you'll feel it later," Akaro said. She attempted a smile at him, but it didn't come out right.

"I suppose you're right," Shail said. The wall was up. Shail walked over to where his sword lay and picked it up. Akaro bent and picked up her own dagger from where she had dropped it. She stood up just in time to make out soft footsteps behind her.

"DUCK!" Shail called, running towards her. Akaro hit the ground, and a sword whooshed lethally where her head had been seconds earlier. She swiveled on the balls of her feet, then leapt onto the chest of her attacker and thrust her sword deep into his chest. The man let out a strangled cry and his sword dropped from his hands. The soldier then fell backwards, taking Akaro with him. The cat girl braced herself for the fall, but when the actual blow fell the man's body took most of the impact. Akaro lay there on top of the soldier, breathing hard. Warm, sticky blood oozed over her stomach from the fallen soldier. Akaro hugged the man's chest as the realization of what she had just done hit her.

Footsteps. A faint shadow fell over her body. Shail, she felt, was standing right over her.

"Get up Akaro," Shail said. His voice was soft and comforting.

"I killed a human being," Akaro whispered. Her words were barely audible. She hugged the man a bit tighter.

"I know," Shail said simply, his words full of sadness. He couldn't deny the fact, but his voice was like honey, and Akaro felt immense relief wash over her for reasons she couldn't explain. 

Shail reached down and placed a hand on Akaro's arm. The two remained there for a few moments, but finally Akaro relaxed, and Shail gently pulled her off the corpse. Shail gave her a quick embrace, then stood her on her own to feet.

"I'm sorry," Akaro said. Whether she was apologizing to Shail or the guard, she didn't know. Shail obviously didn't find it that important.

"Alright. Let's go find Chid and then get the **hell** out of here. The guards have obviously been alerted" Shail said. He backed up a few paces to where Dilandau broken body lay and scooped him up, placing the silver-haired angel on his shoulders.

"Do you know where we need to go?" Akaro asked. She bent down and picked up the sword that the guard had dropped. Shail walked past her and headed for a tunnel. Akaro followed.

"We need to go to the Serena's Gardens. If I can remember where they are I can navigate the forest from there without too much trouble," Shail said. He turned down a dark hallway. Dilandau moaned softly, but didn't stir.

"How do you know your way around Old Zaibach?" Akaro asked Shail as they twisted and turned in what Akaro hoped to be the way to the outside.

"Serena used to come back here occasionally. Every so often she comes and leaves a rose for Jajuka, a demi-human who took care of her when she was under Zaibach's control. Sometimes, in the bowels of the ruins, she leaves roses for the DragonSlayers. I know it sounds creepy, but she remembers everything about them. Also out of tribute to Dilandau," Shail said hurriedly. His strength was returning, Akaro noticed. _He has a very strong willpower_, she thought.

Finally, the trio came to the end of the chain of tunnels. Sunlight crept into the dark shadows, and Akaro and Shail emerged from the entranceway. The light was blinding, but soon her eyes focused, and there stood Chid, motioning furiously for her to leave. Behind him stood the Duke, and his brown eyes were flashing.

*********


	18. Choices

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

A/N: Hello! This last chapter is incredibly long! It's a lot of action, a lot of drama, and...well, read and find out! ^.^

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Chid was pacing back and forth when Shail and Akaro came through the gateway. He almost fell over in shock, but maintained his composure. Across the Fanelian Prince's back was a young man, but Chid couldn't really make out who he was. Chid could sense the Duke standing behind him. Chid continued pacing, but he shook his hands furiously and eyed Shail and Akaro, trying to convey that they needed to leave the area immediately. Shail caught on and grabbed Akaro by the back of her dress, yanking her into the dark tunnel again. 

Mahad walked swiftly to the Prince's side. Chid held his breath and looked as innocently as he possibly could at the Duke. His brown eyes flashed, and then he grabbed Chid roughly by the arm, twisting him painfully around, pinning Chid to his body by wrapping his bionic left arm around Chid's torso. The Duke slowly raised his unsheathed sword and placed it to Chid's neck. 

"Come out or he dies," Mahad called out. Chid inhaled sharply. _Shit!_ Chid thought. 

"Don't come out!" Chid screamed. "He'll—" Chid's warning was cut off by the Duke, who dug his bionic fingers into his stomach. Chid felt the cold metal gouging his flesh, and warm blood blossomed onto his vest. The Duke then removed his fingers, and Chid felt pain coursing through him as the dagger-like phalanges left. The wound was deep.

"Damn you, Mahad!" Shail's voice echoed hollowly across the gardens. Chid held his breath as he expected Shail and Akaro to come out. Much to his relief, no one appeared. Shail was holding his ground. 

"What? Do you think I'm bluffing?" Mahad asked. His voice was a higher pitch then usual. Chid squinted into the tunnel. He could barely make out Akaro and Shail's frames. Wherever the young man was, Chid couldn't tell. _Don't move. Don't move. Don't move!_ Chid chanted in his head. His head spun with the smell of blood from his gut. 

"Does **this** look like a bluff?" Mahad said. Chid felt the pressure of the blade against his neck increase, then felt a slight pain. He didn't realize he was bleeding until he felt the drops flow from his neck and mingle with his stomach wound. Anymore pressure and Chid knew his trachea would be sliced, which would lead, inevitably, to death. Chid held very still. 

"Fine. You win Mahad. Lower your blade and we'll come out," Chid heard Shail say weakly. _Damn it Shail! Why isn't Akaro talking? Is she hurt?_ Chid thought frantically to himself. He felt the sword leave his neck. Hot blood oozed down his neck. 

Shail and Akaro came forward. Akaro's eyes were wide and her face was ashy. Her hands were clasped in front of her. A large dark bloodstain was on her stomach, but she didn't appear to be hurt. She caught Chid's eyes and held them. "I'm alright," she mouthed to him. Shail put down the pale young man who was slung across his shoulders. Chid flicked his eyes towards him, intent on only finding out who he was, then returning to Akaro's hurtful gaze. Instead, they locked to the unconscious man. _Dilandau! How the...oh no,_ Chid thought. He heard Mahad gasp at the ashy-haired man. Chid knew that the Duke had just recognized him. _Oh shit_, Chid thought.

"This makes things much more fun. Guards!" the Duke yelled. He kept his grip on Chid, but it was looser. Chid reached up and gingerly touched his neck. Blood spilled on his fingers. He withdrew his hand and flicked his fingers, spraying blood on the grass. A large clacking sound announced that the guards had arrived. Chid looked to Akaro again. Two guards surrounded Shail. He warily handed them his sword. Akaro kept her eyes on Chid, even as the guards surrounded her. After a few moments, all the guards had arrived, which consisted of only five men, who spent most of their time eyeing the unconscious Dilandau **very** nervously. However, all of them were heavily armed, and an unconscious DragonSlayer, a young cat girl, a young man and a bleeding Prince weren't very good army. The Duke released Chid from his grasp. 

"Thank you," Chid said with as much dignity as he could muster. He looked down at his stomach. Only one of the wounds were bleeding badly now. They burned like fire.

"Well, now that everything's secure, your decision can be made Chid," Mahad said, stepping up to Chid's left side._ So goddamned impatient and efficient_, Chid thought. He looked at Akaro again. She had a complete mask upon her face. Even her green eyes were closed to the world.

"Don't make me choose," Chid said quietly to the Duke. 

"You'll have to, or not only your friends but **you** shall die as well," Mahad said. He folded his arms, a smug smile upon his face. He didn't drop his sword though.

"Chid, you have a country to run. Freid needs a **good** leader, not—" Shail said, breaking off when a Freidian guard elbowed him sharply in the stomach. He doubled over briefly, but then stood back up, straight as a board. Chid's heart ached.

"Do does Fanelia," Chid replied, sighing. He had only one idea left, and it was **very** risky. "Mahad, I'll return to Freid with you. But only if you allow these three their lives," Chid said, as commandingly as he could. 

"You're not in a bargaining condition Chid," the Duke said darkly. His brown eyes were large. It was the first time Chid had ever called him Mahad. Chid whipped up his left hand and hit the blade with his hand, flipping it out of Mahad's surprised hands. Chid caught it by the hilt, then raised it's point to the Duke's shocked face.

"Well, this improves my odds, I believe," said Chid. He made his eyes as large as a puppy's. It had always worked on Mother.

"Put that down or your friends die now," the Duke said. Mahad had regained his composure. 

"Don't move," said Chid to the flustered guards. His eyes didn't leave the Duke's face. "If you do, the Duke dies, and then you die next." Chid knew he was in a very precarious condition. He had no idea how many daggers and other weaponry Mahad had on his person.

"Brash little devil. You have your mother's spirit," the Duke said. Chid could tell Mahad knew how ill equipped he was. His eyes practically dripped with condescending amusement. _At least there's **amusement**_, Chid thought.

"Do you want a war with Fanelia and Asturia? Because you sure are acting like you want to destroy Freid, this country that you and I have tried so hard to rebuild," Chid said sociably. Mahad regarded him coolly.

"Asturia is our ally. If Fanelia attacks over this, we'll have them to back us up," Mahad replied.

"Ah yes, Asturia. Our great allies who **allowed** Zaibach to take over Freid and destroy it," Chid said, his words thick with venom, "Why should we trust them? Hell, Serena is Millerna's good friend, and I'm not married to Nidia yet? Where are the ties?"

"Alright Chid. You do have a point," said Mahad. Chid grinned inwardly. He loved the new gullibility that the Duke's insanity seemed to have brought on. "You know have a **new** choice. Your fight me using guymelefs. If you win, your friends live, and you immediately assume the throne. If I win, your friends die, and so do you."

Chid felt his heart drop, then soar. He was pretty decent at guymelef warfare. But he was fighting his family. His **insane** family, he noted.

"Promise, no swear that you will not hurt my friends during battle," Chid said. He looked to Mahad's eyes, which were serious for once.

"I swear on your mother's grave," the Duke replied. He then backed up and crawled up and into his guymelef. Chid turned to Khorinae and leapt up into the control chamber.

Khorinae was very similar to the Alseides and Teiring units, but was able to fight under the stealth cloak device. It couldn't convert to any other forms like Escaflowne, but Khorinae didn't really have a need too. Khorinae was a guymelef for fighting in the air and on the ground, not running from the trouble. 

The Duke's guymelef, Harashi, was more like Sherazade, which Chid found wryly amusing. It still had the entire special gadgets that Khorinae had, but it was not meant for flying. The mecha could fly very well, but it could hardly attack in the air. It faired even worse under the stealth manteaux. Mahad liked the old-fashioned 'melefs, he said that he could control them easier because the controls weren't as precise as the new guymelefs that Freid had started building.

Chid felt a thrill of power course through his veins as Khorinae whirred to life. He turned to Mahad, who was patiently waiting for him to get ready.

"No using the stealth cloak, Chid. That wouldn't be fair," Mahad said, his voice echoing from his guymelef. _Yeah, like you've been **really** fair these past couple of days_, Chid thought to himself. 

"Fine Sir," Chid said as bitingly as he could. Mahad flashed out at him with his sword. Chid easily dodged the blow. He swung back at the Duke, but he blocked. Chid was glad to see that his guymelef fighting abilities hadn't deteriorated while he was away. Khorinae seemed so familiar that Chid felt like he hadn't missed a day of practice. Block, thrust, sidestep, hit...Chid's mind was running on a war mentality. 

"You're doing well," the Duke called out during the fighting. He was faring worse then Chid was. Chid had been able to hit him quite a few times, but Mahad had yet to score a hurtful blow.

"You're not," Chid called back triumphantly. He whipped out his flame-thrower and torched Harashi's cape. The Duke fell back against a wall, dowsing the flames. Chid took a quick glance at the prisoners. Shail was watching, his eyes shining brightly. Akaro looked like she was about to fall to the ground with worry, and Dilandau...Chid shuddered. The DragonSlayer was awake, and his eyes had a psychotic gleam in them. Three guards surrounded him, but he wasn't paying much attention to him. His eyes were riveted to the flames.

A sharp blow to his arm brought Chid back to the battle. Mahad had shot his arm with his Crima Claw. Not too much damage was done however. Khorinae leapt into the air and hit Harashi hard in the upper leg. The guymelef tumbled over. The Duke's leg was surely crushed. Chid flew back a few paces and landed, then walked cautiously to the smoking guymelef. Chid used the Crima claw and shattered the drag-energist in the guymelef's shoulder. The entire mecha went dark. Chid stood triumphantly over the fallen monarch.

"You win," Mahad's voice echoed from the twisted metal. He slowly rose from the hatch, clutching his leg. Chid picked him up in Khorinae's hand. Chid then climbed out of his own guymelef, after making sure that Khorinae wouldn't drop the Duke and crush him.

"Release the prisoners," Chid said walking up to the guards. They hesitated, but then moved away, except for the ones around Dilandau. Chid was glad to note that they had **some** common sense.

"Chid!" Akaro cried. She ran to Chid and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her with all his might, lifting her feet of the ground. While the two were hugging, Shail walked over to Dilandau, and pushed his way through the guards. The soldier was sitting on the ground with his arms folded, looking very menacing. Shail offered him a hand, and Dilandau took, then stood up. 

"Are you going to behave yourself?" Shail asked him. Dilandau didn't answer, his eyes were on the Chid's guymelef.

"What's he doing?" Dilandau said, pointing to Mahad. Shail turned. The Duke was holding what appeared to be a mini-flame-thrower, and it was aiming right for Chid and Akaro.

"Chid, look out!" Shail yelled. Chid broke away from Akaro, feeling very annoyed with Shail. A bright burst of fire shot past his head. He ducked and pulled Akaro down with him. 

"Stay down," he said hurriedly. He stood up and looked at Mahad. _Handheld flame-throwers. What will we think of next?_ Chid thought to himself. Mahad aimed the gadget at him again, but a loud rumbling stopped him. Chid looked up as a large dragon came flying into the gardens. It was Escaflowne, and riding it was a very, very angry looking Van, Allen, and...Eries?

The dragon descended practically upon Khorinae. Allen withdrew his sword and hit Mahad on the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. The entire group on the ground stared, their mouths wide open. Escaflowne landed, and the trio leapt off as the guymelef changed into it's fighting mode.

"You, guards, don't you dare move an inch. I'm in charge now. This guymelef responds to **my** voice and feelings. Don't piss me off, or I will kill you," Van said. His deep voice rang out across the gardens. The guards stepped back from Shail and Dilandau, and Chid helped Akaro off the ground. Allen cast a glance to Chid, and his face frowned with worry as he looked at the bloody couple. Eries' face was a mask. Van was looking at the Duke, his back turned.

"Van! Long-time no see!" Dilandau cried out. _Oh shit,_ Chid thought. The albino had a sword in his hand. _How did you let that one happen, Shail?_ Chid thought. 

"Don't do anything stupid Dilandau," Shail said. He placed a warning bandaged hand on Dilandau's arm. The gesture didn't seem to be helping. Dilandau charged ahead with his eyes flashing fire, and Van whirled around just in time to block Dilandau's sword. 

The head guard screamed, and withdrew his sword, and the other guards followed suit. Shail looked at the guards in something that looked like shock mixed with contempt.

"Shail, get out of there!" Eries screamed. Chid looked at her in awe. He'd never heard her speak above a soft whisper. Shail leapt back from the guards and picked up the sword he had dropped upon surrendering. Chid backed up and withdrew his own sword, determined to protect Akaro, but found she wasn't behind him. He spun around, but couldn't see her. 

"Akaro!" Chid called out. He brought up his sword as a guard attacked him. He thrust the man aside. 

"I'm right here, don't worry!" Akaro yelled, emerging from a tunnel. She had a sword in her hand. Chid was about to protest but, the guard came back for another blow, and Chid put his concentration into fighting him. The guard managed to land his blow on Chid's stomach before Chid could fight back. The Prince grimaced as his stomach wound began profusely bleeding again. The man was a very good swordsman, but he had a habit of showing his stomach to often. Chid used this to his advantage, and sliced the man's stomach when the opportunity presented itself.

As the man fell, Chid looked to Dilandau. Van was fighting carefully as possible, trying not to hurt Dilandau. Dilandau was fighting with a blinding fury, but his body was twitching in pain. Dilandau flipped Van's sword from his hands, and pinned him to the ground. Chid went running to them.

"Now to finish this," Dilandau said. Van looked at him with surprise. Dilandau raised his blade, when he himself was hit over the head. Akaro, her sword firmly clasped in her hand, had smacked the DragonSlayer with the hilt of her weapon. Chid smiled in relief as he stopped by her side. He helped Van up off the ground.

"Go help the others, I'll take care of him," Van said. His eyes were full of sorrow. He looked at Dilandau almost lovingly.

"Let me stay with you. He at least **likes** me," Akaro said. She ran to Dilandau's side, throwing Chid a glance. Chid's heart ached as she helped Dilandau, but he erased his jealous feelings and turned back to battle, just in time to see Allen disappear into the ruins after a runaway guard. His golden hair gleamed once, then disappeared in the gloom that Zaibach never lost.

Shail was busy fighting one of the last remaining guards. He was faring extremely well, and Chid could see that the soldier was about to succumb to Shail's sword. Shail pinned the man against the wall. Another soldier came running from behind Shail with his sword raised high above his head. Chid ran from the other side of the garden, trying to intercept him before he reached the oblivious black-haired boy. 

A tall pale form stepped in front of the charging guard, who was only a few feet away from Shail. It was Eries, and she had a sword in her slender hand. She slowly brought up the sword, and clothes lined the charging soldier, creating a wide gash across his chest. He obviously didn't expect her to attack. Eries seemed surprised herself. _Why in the hell is she here? What in the hell is she doing?_ Chid thought. His feet pounded through the flowerbeds. 

The fallen guard quickly regained his feet and flicked his sword at the startled Eries. The blade hit her square in the side, leaving a deep gouge. She cried out in pain. Shail, hearing her, quickly skewered his guard and turned around. Chid was almost there. Eries shouted in rage, then brought down her sword upon the guard's head, splitting his cranium with the glinting metal. Eries spit on the guard's frame, then her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Shail ran and caught her, holding her only inches from the ground. Chid finally reached the two and sank to his knees.

"Oh Aunt Eries, why did you come?" Chid asked mournfully. Eries eyes were closed, and her expression was pained. He placed a hand on her wound, feeling the blood spill over his hand. It was a bad injury. She wasn't going to make it. _Why didn't I use my wings? I could have been here and then this would never have happened. Hell, if I had stayed in **Freid** this never would have happened. _Chid felt a lump rising in his throat. He wasn't going to cry. He hadn't cried since the destruction of Freid, and he wasn't going to start now. A shadow fell over the group. Chid looked up, and Allen knelt beside them. 

"Tell him, Eries. Don't hide it any longer. It hurts too much," Allen said, kneeling beside her. Eries opened her eyes.

Chid felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had an awful premonition about what he was going to hear.

"Shail, do you remember your first family?" Eries asked him. Shail looked down at her in complete shock. 

"No. My first memory is waking up in the Fanelian gardens," Shail said guardedly. His blue-violet eyes were large.

"I can't tell you why you don't remember the first 12 years of your life, I can't even tell you about them. All I can tell you is who your true parents are," Eries said. Her voice was weak. Chid felt her pulse, it was fading fast. 

"Don't..." Shail said half-heartedly. He swept back her silvery blonde hair from her face. 

"I was barely a child when I met him. After the dragon, I didn't see him again for 2 more rotations. Finally, he came back one night, and well, months later I had a little boy when I was barely 14 rotations old," Eries smiled thinly, but her smile was full of love. "It was you Shail. Of course, I named you after your father, Folken. Oh yes, Folken Dastinio de Fanel. I gave you away one day to a peasant family I knew. Father had threatened to kill you. It was the last time I saw you until you showed up in the Fanelian gardens." Eries broke off her speech as shivers racked her body. 

"Oh gods. Eries, I never knew. I never, ever even suspected," Shail said. He hugged Eries a little tighter. She looked at him with glazed eyes. Blue-violet eyes.

"You have my eyes," she said unnecessarily, "but only Atlantis knows where you got black hair." Shail smiled, and a few tears coursed down his cheeks. Allen put an arm around Chid, who watched in complete numb blankness.

"I just wanted you to know that I love you. I never, ever stopped loving you. Neither did Folken. During the burning of Palas, he always made sure you were kept safe. I don't know how he knew, but he did. He always did," Eries said. Her voice died out, and her body went completely limp in Shail's arms. Chid heard Allen gasp slightly beside him, but Chid kept his eyes fixed on Shail's. The older boy was wide-eyed and paler then Chid had ever seen in his life.

"Why is it..." Shail began, "That I learn of my family, and then they are torn from me as quickly as they came?" His voice was quiet but dripped with pain. He might as well have screamed. Shail sat back, Eries' body still in his arms. He shuddered once, then hugged Eries to his chest as tightly as he could, fighting to keep his composure like mad. Chid looked over, and saw Van walking slowly over to where Shail sat. Chid slowly rose, judging it a time to leave Van and Shail to themselves. Allen took his own cue and stood with Chid. 

The minute Chid had risen to his full height, Allen wrapped him in the biggest hug Chid had ever received in he thought, his entire life. He didn't know how to respond for a second, for Allen had never shone such emotion. After a few seconds though, he let his body relax and hugged the taller man back with equal zest. Chid felt Allen hesitantly reach up and stroke his hair, the same golden hue as his own. Chid suddenly had never felt so tired in his life. He laid his head on Allen's chest, who responded by hugging him even tighter. Chid grimaced as Allen's stiff Asturian armor rubbed against his stomach wound, which was still bleeding. _Great. I **finally** have a quote "father and son" moment with Allen and it only hurts me_, Chid thought to himself wryly. 

"What's wrong? Sweet Jeture, I didn't even think. I'm sorry Chid," Allen said, pulling away from Chid. A dark stain now appeared on Allen's uniform, exactly in the same spot Chid's stomach wound was. 

"Don't worry. It's not bad. It just bleeds a lot. I feel as if that's all I've done for the past couple of weeks. Bleed, pass out, and require medical attention. That's my new purpose in life," Chid said, trying to lighten the mood. He couldn't deal with heavy emotions with Allen just yet. He could deal with those emotions only with himself and...

"Where's Akaro?" Chid asked. He pulled away from Allen and looked around the gardens.

"I think she's watching Dilandau, I think," Allen said. He smiled down at Chid. "You really like her don't you?" 

"Yes," Chid said, turning back to Allen. He blushed slightly. "I'm going to go find her. She shouldn't be alone with that psychopath."

"Well, go on then," Allen said. He smiled and began walking back to where Shail and Van were. 

Chid turned and began walking to where he thought Dilandau lay. He slowly wound his way through a few trees and a lot of flowerbeds. The gardens' were surprisingly very large and contained a great diversity of plant life. Chid passed under the Duke, who was awake, but his eyes were spinning torpidly around his surroundings. He didn't know where he was, apparently. _Good_, Chid thought with startling vehemence. He ignored the Duke and kept walking. 

Chid walked to where a few trees stood. Lying beneath them was Dilandau. His hands and feet were tightly bound with some twine. Akaro was no where to be found. Chid furrowed his brow in thought, then bent down and checked Dilandau's pulse. It was slow and steady, and the angelic boy had a calm expression on his face. A wave of pain washed over Chid. He clutched his stomach, and felt fresh blood leak to his fingers. The wounds the Duke had given him were **really** starting to hurt.

"Chid!" 

Chid spun around to see Akaro running towards him. He stood up hastily and began walking towards her, hindered by his stomach wound. Akaro had a smile on her face, despite the recent happenings. _How in the world did she get over there? _he wondered briefly. The Prince was about to call out to her, when he noticed a glint of metal in the air. He looked up at Khorinae. In the Duke's hand was a long, pointy dagger. He was aiming right at Akaro, who was only a few feet away from the guymelef. 

"He chose you over me," Mahad whispered. Akaro slowed her run and looked up at the Duke. Her green eyes widened in surprise as she saw the lethal dagger in his poised hand.

"No!" Chid screamed. He broke off into a run but then felt his wings explode from his back, disintegrating his vest. Mahad froze as he saw the Prince's transformation. However, it didn't last long, and Mahad re-aimed the dagger. Chid pushed himself as hard as he could manage. Suddenly everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The Duke's wrist flashed and the dagger was in the air. Chid could see the blade heading for Akaro, her eyes wide with unbelieving shock. His wings were beating exceptionally slow to him. Chid extended his arms and his hands brushed Akaro, and only then did time speed up.

Chid slammed into Akaro, knocking her off her feet. He tightly wrapped his arms around her and lifted her out of harm's way. Suddenly a sharp pain sliced across the top of Chid's right wing, then his left wing exploded into a plethora of pain. Blood rained down as he beat his wings furiously, taking Akaro away from the Duke.

"Oh god Chid. He was going to kill me," Akaro said unbelievingly. A droplet of blood landed on her face. She wiped it away, then stared at it in horror. "Your hit. Oh god your hit!" She said with growing panic. 

"Shh, I'm okay. You're okay," Chid said, hugging her tighter. His wings throbbed with pain, his stomach throbbed with pain, and his head throbbed pain from the higher altitude, but Chid didn't care. Akaro was here and she was alive, and for him, that was enough. He slowly swooped to the ground, then set Akaro on her feet near Dilandau. "Stay here. I have to go deal with someone," Chid said, then kissed her quickly and fiercely. He turned and rose into the air.

Chid flew up to where the Duke was pinned in Khorinae's giant fist. How Mahad's arms had come free, he'd never know. Chid hovered in front of Mahad, staring at him for a bit.

"What did they do to you?" Mahad asked, staring at Chid's now crimson wings. _What did they do to you is more like it,_ Chid thought. Impulsively he flicked his right wing towards Mahad, showering the Duke with blood droplets. _Guilt blood,_ Chid thought to himself. 

"You would **dare** try to kill me and the people I love," Chid said, ignoring the Duke's question. He fought to keep his equilibrium. The blows that the Duke had given to his head earlier were affecting him in the higher altitude.

"Traitors to the Crown must be punished," Mahad snarled. Chid felt his anger snap. He grabbed Mahad by his thick robes and wrenched the Duke from Khorinae's grasp in a burst of adrenaline. The Duke, for once, looked absolutely surprised with Chid's abilities. And, Chid thought for a split second, a tad bit terrified.

Chid slowly lowered Mahad to the ground, but then let him fall the last foot. The Duke landed on his feet, but crumpled under his broken leg. Mahad struggled for a second, then halfway stood up. He looked up at Chid, squinting as the sun backlit the winged Prince. Chid felt blood running down his back and falling to the ground. _Red rain Hitomi. Here's your red rain. Did you see this coming?_ Chid thought to himself. He took a small morbid delight in knowing how he appeared to Mahad right now. _Probably thinks the Bloody Angel of Death has come knocking on his door_, Chid thought. He then slowly landed on his feet. Such gruesome bliss was not fitting to him. Actually, he was rather repulsed by it.

"You never learn do you?" Chid asked, staring at the Duke. Mahad, in his sloping stature, was Chid's own height. Chid's heart ached for the Duke. Right now his heart hurt more then any other injuries he'd ever had in his entire life.

"Well, aren't you going to kill me?" Mahad asked. He looked at Chid defiantly and stood a little higher on his bad leg, even though a flash of pain lit his face.

Chid looked at the Duke in total disbelief. He thought briefly of saying a biting remark, but decided against it. The Prince sighed and shook his head. He slowly curled his wings towards his body, revealing the exact location of the dagger in his left wing. The pain of it was agonizing—almost to the point of making him pass out, but he knew what he had to do. Gritting his teeth, Chid reached behind his back and pulled the dagger from his wing. He felt the hot blood course thick and sticky down his back. Mahad looked at him with confusion.

"Here," Chid said. He took Mahad's right arm, his only human one, and placed the dagger in his hand. The Duke reflexively grasped the dagger's hilt. Chid brought up both his hands and laid them on the Duke's fist.

"Now listen to me well. If you feel you must punish me for treason, then do it now, so I can join Mother," Chid said, his blue eyes flashing. "Yes, my beloved Mother who was herself a traitor to the Crown, for she died for the ones she **loved**, which is a crime in your eyes, so I guess that I have to die as well.

But—" Chid continued, staring scathingly into the Duke's wide brown eyes, "at least I am not a traitor to my **heart** and my **family**. I did commit treason to my country by you, but never on the Monarchy." He stepped as close to Mahad as he could. Chid then took The Duke's hand that held the dagger, and placed the point delicately on his heart. "Come now," Chid said, his voice softer now and full of sorrow, "I know the price I must pay. Deliver your blow of justice, my **beloved** Duke." The Prince closed his eyes and dropped his hand._What have I done? Oh Akaro, I'm so sorry,_ Chid thought. He felt the pressure on the blade increase. _Goodbye_, Chid thought as peacefully as he could. Then suddenly, the blade's pressure disappeared. _Huh_? 

Chid snapped his eyes open, just in time to see Mahad fall to the ground. Instinctively, he reached out and caught the Duke. Chid slowly lowered the larger man to the ground. The Prince looked quizzically at Mahad's face, then down at his body. Protruding from the Duke's chest was the dagger, which moved slightly with every beat of Mahad's heart. 

"Why did you..." Chid said, looking back to Mahad's glazed eyes. He couldn't finish the sentence because his throat was closing up. _Damn me for feeling this way!_ Chid thought. 

"Don't cry," the Duke said brusquely as he could. It came out as a hoarse whisper. Chid smiled bitterly inwardly, but swallowed and put a mask of strength on his face. He willed his wings to curl about him and the Duke, creating a shroud of snowy feathers. Mahad looked at the feathery canopy in something that was a cross between wonderment and sadness.

"I haven't since that day, and I promise you that I never will," Chid said in complete sincerity. Mahad's eyes rolled back slightly, but he quickly whipped them back into focus. He motioned weakly for Chid to lean closer. Chid pulled the Duke close to him, and bent his head to hear his last words.

"I'm so sorry. I betrayed **my** family, and I don't bend the rules for anyone," Mahad said in what was barely a whisper. He reached up with his good arm and ruffled Chid's hair, then lowered his hand and cupped Chid's cheek. Chid smiled as valiantly as he could. Mahad smiled back contentedly, then his eyes closed, and his hand fell onto Chid's shoulder. 

Chid stared at the Duke. His mind couldn't (or wouldn't, he didn't know which) comprehend what had just happened. _The man who has been my father in every word has just died in my arms, _his mind finally screamed at him. Chid gently turned head and kissed the palm of Mahad's hand. He felt tears rising in his eyes. 

"I promise you I won't cry," Chid said softly, "Father." To Chid, it was the most appropriate thing he could think of to say. 


	19. A Glass Devil

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

*********************************************************************

Chid sat on the ground, staring at the man who lay in arms. A few feathers drifted onto Mahad's body, and the small glaring wisps reacted with something in Chid's mind. He got a grip on himself, and gradually recognized his surroundings. Slowly the Prince retracted his wings, feeling the stinging pressure of the cut. He hugged Mahad closer to his chest and stood up. Chid gathered the Duke in his arms and slowly began walking to where he thought the group was. As he sluggishly emerged from the grove of trees, he saw the group. Shail was standing up, and Van had a hesitant arm around his shoulders. They're heads were bowed together, so Chid assumed that they were still talking. Allen was crouched by the dead Eries, placing her arms across her chest. He looked over in Chid's direction briefly, then stood up and ran to Chid's side. The Knight's manner was hesitant.

"Chid, what happened?" Allen asked. Chid stared straight ahead. His body was so tired, so full of pain. _Answer,_ a voice prompted him.

"He...tried to kill her," Chid said distantly. He furrowed his brows and tried to concentrate on his voice. "But he hit me instead. Oh, but he loves me. I know he does...or he did," Chid said. His voice was thicker. The Duke felt **so** heavy in his arms. Allen caught the tiredness of the Prince. He leaned forward and took Mahad from the Chid's arms. Chid let out a slight cry of protest and tried to clutch the Duke closer to him, but he couldn't keep a hold of him.

"Shh, Chid. You can't do anything for him. Think about yourself, and think about Akaro. Tell me where she is and I'll go and retrieve her," Allen said. Chid could tell that Allen was using every scrap of his training to keep his composure. The Prince's blue eyes sparked at the remembrance of Akaro.

"I...I left her with Dilandau. Don't worry, I shall go and get her," Chid said. He felt a small surge of energy that slightly revitalized his frame. Allen began to protest, but Chid silenced him by spreading his wings. He grimaced inwardly, feeling the feathered flesh tear where his wounds were.

"Damn it! You shouldn't do this! Gods, you have your mother's stubbornness!" Allen said angrily, his composure breaking. Chid smiled and rose gently into the air. The wind caught his hair and made it dance, the blonde strands and the blood-coated strands entwining about one another. 

"I have too, and I want too," Chid said simply. Allen frowned at him, but his eyes gleamed with understanding. After all, he knew better then anyone the chains of love.

"Well, leave Dilandau there. I want to be with him when he wakes," Allen said, his voice strong with forced anger.

"I shall leave you with that pleasure," Chid said grandly. He turned to leave.

"Hold on," Allen said. He took his sword from his hilt and tossed it to Chid.

"I don't think I'll need this, but better safe then sorry," Chid said. Allen smiled, then waved a hand at the winged Prince, to tell him to leave. Chid smiled then turned in the air, and fluttered off towards the trees where Akaro and Dilandau were located. Chid could feel his body's weakness sharply now. _So much blood..._the Prince thought to himself. 

The flight was short and quick. Chid flew to the stand of trees, then plummeted headfirst down through the treetops. He stopped in midair and righted his body. Akaro was sitting against the trunk of the tree, her knees drawn in to her body. She had gently placed her chin on her knees, and her emerald eyes were blank and staring. Dilandau was sitting next to her, his back tot he tree's trunk. His hands were bound in front of him, they were laying limply across his knees. The silvery-haired boy was staring out in front of him, his rosy irises warm for once. 

Chid flapped his wings a few times, lowering his body to the ground. When the Prince felt his feet touch the soil, he thought his knees would give out, but he held himself. Chid felt his wings slide softly into his skin. He smiled inwardly at the relief that came from the wings' disappearance. The Duke's dagger wounds were not helping Chid's pain situation.

Dilandau looked at Chid and smiled, or frowned. Chid couldn't tell which. He had never understood Dilandau. The blonde-haired boy didn't think anyone ever had, save Serena. Dilandau leaned over slightly and nudged Akaro softly with his alabaster shoulder. Akaro looked at the soldier indignantly, but then her eyes caught Chid in her peripheral vision. 

"Chid!" Akaro cried. She scrambled from the tree, giving Dilandau a hug. The albino stiffened visibly at the touch, but he didn't say anything. Akaro ran to Chid, and instead of stopping at his feet, threw her arms around him and almost knocked him to the ground. Chid dropped his sword and caught her by the waist and held her for a few seconds, burying his face in her hair. She smelled of gardenia. _Gardenias and blood. How poetic. Pity I never noticed how she smelled until she was covered in blood_, Chid thought to himself. He set Akaro back on the ground. Her eyes widened as she saw the full extent of Chid's wounds. 

"Don't worry, I'm alright. Nothing life threatening, or so I think," Chid said. He looked Akaro up and down (for once without the thought of romance crossing his mind) to check for wounds. She had bloodstains on her dress, but he could tell they weren't hers. It was the same stain from the beginning, and the new ones were his.

"Does it hurt?" Akaro asked, looking at Chid's neck and torn torso. _Like you wouldn't believe_, Chid thought to himself. I

"Not too bad. I think I've passed physical pain by now. I've lost to much blood to feel much," he said, which was the half-truth. All he could feel was the impending danger of falling on the ground in weakness. Chid heard Dilandau laughing quietly in the background. The DragonSlayer knew exactly what condition Chid was in. Chid shot him a glance when he felt his knee buckle. Luckily, he caught himself before he hit the ground.

"Would you stop being so chivalrous and accept the fact that you're hurt for once in your entire life?" Akaro asked. She frowned at Chid a little. Chid felt his eyes widen at the comment, but he laughed softly. Chid picked Akaro up and kissed her as lovingly as he knew how. He felt the adrenaline flood his body, rejuvenating him.

"Does that hurt?" Chid asked as playfully as he could muster. Akaro shook her head once, then planted a light, dewy kiss on his lips. She settled herself to the ground. 

"We need to get back," Akaro said. She kissed Chid's ear. "And, we have to deal with the moodiest psychopath on the planet," she finished. Chid nodded and turned to Dilandau. The bound boy looked at him coolly, like a cat would. 

"Well, as much as I liked that little display of affection, I would appreciate it if we could get on with it," Dilandau said. His eyes were icy, yet contained. Chid sighed. He thought Dilandau would be a bit warmer if Akaro was there. He seemed to open up to the cat girl. Obviously this wasn't to be the case.

"Alright Dilandau. Now, if you don't mind, behave until we get back to the main group so I don't have to carry you. I'm tired and you're not exactly what I want to be lugging around with me," Chid said with a sigh. Allen would not have the "privilege" of waking Dilandau up. Chid would have to bring Dilandau back with him whether he liked it not. It was too dangerous to leave him unattended.

"Don't worry. You couldn't carry me in that condition anyway. Not unless you flew, and judging by the condition of your wings, I don't think you could do that without spurting blood all over the place. How gruesome," Dilandau said, with mock horror. Chid felt a small amount of anger course weakly through his bleeding body.

"Serena's controlling him. And he is literally incapable of kindness, unless he puts himself through excruciating pain. I'll explain later," Akaro whispered hurriedly in Chid's ear. She was standing right behind him, and her presence was momentarily distracting. Chid made his mind blank so that he could concentrate. 

"Yeah...well. Uh, we need to get back, **now**," Chid said, picking up Allen's sword. He slowly walked over to where Dilandau and pulled him to his feet. Dilandau grimaced at the touch, but stood up, almost without Chid's help. Suddenly Dilandau leaned in and spoke to Chid in his velvet purr.

"I could break these bounds quicker then you can blink. I'm being nice, so you be nice," Dilandau said. He took a step back and looked at Chid with slight condescension. Chid stared at him wide-eyed, then regained his composure. Chid then slowly reached out and slipped the ropes from Dilandau's wrists. The soldier was right. The knots weren't hard to undo. 

"Nice," Chid said simply, softly. Dilandau rubbed his wrists together. Chid gave Dilandau a meaningful look.

"I won't go anywhere. I have nowhere to go," Dilandau said quietly. He kept his eyes on Chid. _Even when he's hurting he still has class_, Chid thought, returning his stare. He heard Akaro walking towards to him and Dilandau. The blonde-haired prince slowly turned his torso slightly, keeping his blue eyes locked to Dilandau's red ones. Chid extended his right arm and reached out to Akaro, wrapping his arm around her waist. He pulled her to his side. Akaro caught her breath at the unexpected embrace.

"So, I suggest that we get back now," Chid said, keeping his voice level. He rubbed the hilt of Allen's sword not so much as too keep Dilandau under control, but for his own comfort. It made Chid feel stronger then he actually was. 

"Then for the love of Gaea, let's get on with it," Dilandau snapped. His voice sounded strangely forced. The ghostly boy turned and began walking off through the trees. Chid slipped his arm from Akaro's waist and caught the retreating Dilandau with his hand. The Prince moved in front of Akaro.

"We're going together, and I'm not letting you out of my sight, no matter if how angelic you act," Chid said. Dilandau looked at his immured wrist with extreme dislike. The silvery-haired soldier said nothing, which rattled Chid even more. He perceived a quiet Dilandau to be a dangerous Dilandau. The albino was like a cat—stealthy, beautiful, and lethal. Strangely now, the eyes seemed dim. Chid vaguely wondered if he was injured.

"Come with me," Akaro said, startling Chid out of his worries. The cat girl stepped up to Dilandau's right side and took his hand gently. Chid felt fear course through his veins. He reached out to pull her away from Dilandau, but she sent him a look that stated "I know what I'm doing, don't intervene". Chid snapped his hand back to his side in puzzlement.

Akaro pulled Dilandau's arm slightly, almost as if a she were a small child. Surprisingly, Dilandau didn't speak or try to pull away. He very slowly took a few steps forward and began walking, slightly slower then he had only moments earlier. Chid hurried his own two feet, and soon fell into rhythm with Akaro and Dilandau. 

The trio slowly made their way through the gardens. Thoughts nagged Chid. He knew he was taking a risk at having Dilandau unbound, but for now, at least, the pale soldier looked more like an angel then a bloodthirsty ghost. Dilandau's garnet eyes had lost the maniac gleam, and he looked like a broken thing. Chid finally discovered that he was really too weak and too tired to care. He looked at his shaking hands. Their usual golden-toned skin was considerably lighter, and he was almost as pale as Dilandau. 

Finally Allen and the others came into view. The Knight was walking slowly towards Escaflowne. Van was now at the controls of Escaflowne, which was now positioned directly by the ruins. The ivory dragon looked extremely out of place in the shadows. Shail sat on the shoulder of the great guymelef. As Chid drew nearer, he could see Shail's blue-violet eyes staring dully into space. The Fanelian Prince's shield of indifference had been completely shattered. Chid hoped that Shail could cope with himself. 

Akaro stiffened significantly as the trio neared Escaflowne. She looked nervously from Van to Dilandau, then back to Van. Chid looked at the soldier nervously. Dilandau was simply staring straight ahead. His eyes were still half glazed, and his demeanor was unusually calm. 

Suddenly, Allen stopped in his tracks, then whirled around, causing his golden hair to toss grandly about his body, catching the rays of the sun. He began briskly walking towards Chid, Dilandau, and Akaro. Chid smiled half-heartedly as the Knight walked across the grass. He wondered how Allen had known they were behind him. 

Allen stopped in front of trio and looked first at Akaro and then to Dilandau. His eyes stopped and he frowned slightly as he saw Dilandau's calm, uncanny expression. Briefly the Knight flicked a puzzled look towards Chid, who smiled weakly at him in reassurance, but offered no help concerning Dilandau. Chid felt he couldn't speak on matters he didn't understand.

"Dilandau?" Allen asked in a deep yet small, satin voice. His entire demeanor was gentle, yet apprehensive. Dilandau's eyes slowly widened, and his vision seemed to focus. Suddenly his eyes flamed with something that looked suspiciously like surprise.

"Allen," Dilandau gasped sharply. His entire body was abruptly shaken, causing his head to tilt back radically, and his eyes to close with pain. Chid instinctively steadied the soldier, using his waning strength to catch him. Dilandau breathed heavily and rolled his head back around. His body was trembling slightly, although the day was rather balmy. Slowly Dilandau opened his eyes, and Chid saw that the wine-colored irises were glazed, but he couldn't tell whether or not Dilandau was aware of what was going on.

"Brother," Dilandau breathed. His face had an awed sheen to it, like a child in a candy shop. Dilandau shook his head fiercely, then lowered his head slightly. "No, no I have no brother," Dilandau said softly. He seemed to be speaking to himself. "No, I have no one." His lips curved into a well-known smile and he started to laugh softly to himself. The laugh was brittle wounded. It reminded Chid of a dying bird.

Dilandau tossed his head with his trademark arrogance, sending his silver hair flying. His eyes shone brightly in the sunshine. Wet tears started to stream slowly done his face as he continued to laugh. 

Chid backed away from Dilandau and grabbed Akaro by her hand. She was staring at Dilandau with a look of amazement and fear upon her face. When he grabbed her hand she jerked with surprise, but recognized him and retreated.

"Shh...I don't know what's going on, but I think we'd better watch," Chid said. He felt that something was very wrong here, and for some reason, he knew that only Allen could fix it. Chid wondered if Allen knew how to fix it, whatever "it" was.

Allen took the shaking soldier by the shoulders with an uncertainty that Chid had never seen before. Dilandau shrieked in frustration and stopped laughing. He tried to flinch out of Allen's grip and partially succeeded. Dilandau brought his hands to push the golden-haired man away, but Allen grabbed his wrists. He froze at the touch and recovered himself, though silver tears still coursed down his face.

Dilandau looked at Allen with twisted amusement. "I am surrounded by people and yet I have no one. What do you call that? Irony?" he said.

"Dilandau stop," Allen said warningly. He looked extremely off-balance. Dilandau seemed to notice Allen's discomfort and hissed at the blonde-man's admonition.

"But," He pursued bitingly, "What you don't realize is that I **am** Serena, and she is me. We are one. Don't you get it? I am her anger, and she is my calm." 

"No!" Allen said fiercely, cutting him off. He shook Dilandau and repeated himself. "No!" 

"Ah yes, Allen Schezar. I'm afraid it is true," Dilandau snarled. He shook his face free of tears, raining them down like droplets of hate.

Allen looked stung. His face was a painting of agony. Chid felt himself taking a step to go smack Dilandau for talking this way, but Akaro pulled him back. The sudden movement made his head swim and vision darken. He stumbled and Akaro steadied him.

Allen didn't even flick his gaze towards Chid. His eyes were watery, almost as if he was going to cry, but suddenly he drew himself up to his full height, regaining his composure.

"Then," the Knight said deeply, "If you and Serena are one, then you are not alone, for you shall always have me." Allen then pulled Dilandau to him, pinning the shaking soldier's wrists to his chest. Allen wrapped his arms around Dilandau and laid his head upon Dilandau's cheek. Dilandau struggled violently, and his red eyes were huge with surprise. He shrieked wordlessly a little, his voice shrill. 

"Hush, my little brother," Allen said softly. He lovingly stroked Dilandau's hair. Dilandau ceased his noise, then finally went limp and collapsed against Allen's chest, tears once again streaming down his cheeks. 

"I don't want to be alone," Dilandau moaned softly, his eyes wide and watery. 

"You never will be," Allen said. He kissed Dilandau's head gently and hugged him tighter. Dilandau closed his eyes and sobbed quietly.

Chid stood staring at the two men. He couldn't believe the chain of events that had led to this. His head was pounding, and the incessant roar of his weak heartbeat was in his ears. Akaro stood beside him pensively, joyful tears streaming down her cheeks. Chid felt like the emotion that the scene was creating was overpowering him. Bearing down like a swirling wave of love, hate, sadness, anger, and hope. Chid looked to the soldier and the knight, smiled, then collapsed into oblivion.


	20. The Duke's Plans

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

****

*****************************************************************

Akaro sat at a wonderfully decorated dining table. To her right, at the head of the table, sat Chid. He was dressed in black formal Freidian robes, and the Royal Crown was upon his head. His blue eyes were dull and tired.

Earlier that morning, Chid had held a public assembly, and had informed the kingdom of the passing of Duke Mahad. Chid had claimed that Mahad had died in a hunting accident. Freid hadn't required a lot of elaboration on Chid's tale, which was a good thing. Chid had already been disgusted with the fact that he had to lie to his country. He had been muttering the word "politics" all morning in an effort to soothe his conscience. Chid had ceased his muttering since then, and now was very quiet.

Akaro sighed and looked at her clasped paws in her lap. Her dress was black, as was almost everyone else's. Freid was in a declared state of mourning, and most people had retreated to their houses, and those who were walking outside were dressed in black as well. Even Millerna, who was sitting diagonally from Akaro, was dressed in black garb. She and Dryden had come to Freid to show how Asturia was incredibly loyal to its allies. Dryden had been working incredibly hard to erase the sour taste King Aston had left in Asturia's mouth. 

Besides the couple, Allen and Serena were also at the table, Serena to Akaro's right, and Allen sat at the opposite end of Chid. He stood out brightly, his Caeli Knight uniform shining like a beacon next to the black outfitted party.

"So Chid," said Dryden, breaking the silence, "How do you think the assembly went today?" The dark haired man broke off a roll and chewed on it, his cheeks bulging.

"I believe that it went fine. The public seemed to accept the Duke's death. I guess it comes with practice," Chid said. He smiled wryly at Dryden, then at his wineglass. He raised the dark liquid and took a small sip. 

"I thought that public accepted everything spectacularly," Millerna said cheerfully. She picked a little at her salad. 

Akaro felt like screaming. The tension in the room was so awful. Nobody seemed to know what to say. Chid was being very princely and melancholy at the same time, Millerna was acting way too cheerfully, and Dryden was pointedly ignoring Allen and trying to engage people in boring discussions on taxes and such. Allen was very quiet. He was obviously uncomfortable around Millerna and Dryden being together, and he sent worried glances towards Serena, who had been silent and unresponsive ever since she'd been, well, "turned back". **_DAMN_**, Akaro thought to herself. She took her wineglass and downed the potent alcohol in a very unladylike gulp. No one seemed to notice. A servant came to refill her glass. 

Akaro flitted her eyes to look at the boy. He had dark red hair that flipped over one side of his face. His eyes were large and gray-green. She held a gasp in. It was Merrik, one of her best childhood friends. He kept his eyes averted, but gave her a small familiar smile as poured the wine. Akaro blushed and fidgeted while he poured, then quietly thanked him as he retreated. 

Akaro had felt incredibly uncomfortable in the palace. She had been put in a fancy guestroom, not her old servant room. What had come as a total shock was when Inger and Rita, who had beaten her for not doing chores early in her servant days, dressed her for the dinner. The women had said nothing as they had bound her in the tight black gown she was wearing now; despite Akaro's failed attempts at conversation. Her heart burnt with the awkward feeling of indirect betrayal.

Chid noticed her discomfort. He reached under the table and gave her hand a squeeze. Akaro looked at him first in surprise, then smiled in pleasure. He smiled back at her.

"Chid, oh Chid!" A voice called out.

"Huh?" came Chid's startled reply. Akaro broke contact with Chid and looked at her plate, blushing. Chid straightened himself.

"Jeez, you looked like you were out there on the Mystic Moon or something," Dryden said. Akaro smiled inwardly. She thought that Dryden was one of the most lackadaisical and well educated she'd ever met. She found him a delight to listen too.

"Sorry Dryden. What were you saying?" Chid asked, regaining his princely manner.

Dryden smiled slyly at Akaro, which made her blush even redder. "Oh, I was just asking if you had an idea about what you're going to do as the new Duke."

"Well," Chid began, " First off, I'm creating equal rights for **everyone**. Demi-humans are just as important to Freid, and half the time are better upstanding citizens." Chid winked slightly in Akaro's direction. She smiled and took a bite of her chicken. Chid continued, "Then I thought that I'd probably create an alliance with Fanelia, for obvious reasons, and—"

"Speaking of Fanelia, where is everyone? I thought for sure Van, Hitomi, and at least that delightful Shail would be here. I like that little one too, that Lorallee. She has spunk!" Dryden said. Akaro's food caught in her throat, and she looked about her. Allen and Millerna were as pale as ghosts. Serena was staring blankly at her plate.

"Um, yes, well...they couldn't make it," Millerna said. She looked at Dryden lovingly. He obviously needed some explanation. Millerna hastily stood up, and all the men stood up. "I'm just going to go and check on Nidia. She doesn't like traveling very well. Dryden, dearest, would you come with me?" Millerna said. Dryden grinned and took her arm.

"Why certainly, love," he said affectionately. Akaro felt ready to puke. Millerna led the way from the table, throwing a nice wink over her shoulder to the table.

"How does she **do** that?" Allen mumbled to himself. He sat down and stared dismally at his food.

"Allen," Chid said softly. Allen snatched his head up, and put on his best Knightly manner, Akaro saw. 

"Yes?"

Chid sighed slightly and circled his wineglass lazily with his middle finger. "How long did you know? About Aunt Eries, I mean."

"Not very long. When we were going to come and retrieve you, she told us," Allen said. It obviously hurt him to discuss such tender things. Akaro supposed that Shail's predicament hit to close to home for Allen. 

"What happened?" asked Serena in a small voice. Everyone snapped his or her heads to look at her. She hadn't spoken since the incident. Her face was pale and her eyes were glassy.

"Well, originally Van was going to declare war on Freid and completely decimate the city," Allen began. He paused, seeing Chid wince at the prospect. "Anyway, Hitomi luckily managed to convince him otherwise, pointing out the fact that Asturia is a Freidian ally and would have no choice but to attack Fanelia. Also, destroying Freid wouldn't really solve the problem of bringing you four back."

"That doesn't explain how Eries got in the picture," Chid said softly. He was gazing out the window of the palace, seeing the city he loved so much reduced to ashes once again.

"I'm getting there," Allen said a bit gruffly, "Van and I were at Escaflowne's sleeping place when a carriage pulled up. Of course, to our great surprise, Eries jumped out and demanded that she go with us. I had severe doubts about bringing he along as did Van." Allen broke off and took a small sip of wine. _I bet he had **great **doubts about bringing A WOMAN of all people along,_ Akaro thought a little bitterly to herself. 

"To continue, Eries passionately told me that she was in fact Shail's mother, and insisted that she come along. I have no idea **how** she knew that Mahad had them, but time was wasting. Using Escaflowne and Hitomi's rather...unusual...powers, we located you to, and you know the rest," Allen said. He was being extremely professional about it all. 

"Well, that's...nice," Chid said. He went back to staring out the window. Akaro felt like running to the window and jumping out it. 

"I, I'm going to retire, if you don't mind," Serena said shakily. She stood up and placed a hand on the table to steady herself. "I need to think on things. I don't really think I've been myself." She smiled wryly at that statement. It was too true.

"Wait Serena. Let me come," Allen said, standing. He gently placed an arm around Serena's shoulder. The two gave their good-byes and then left the room, slowly walking down the hallway.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Akaro asked. She was still staring down the hallway. All she could see was the gleam of Allen's hair.

"I think she feels Dilandau's pain," Chid said, not answering the question. Akaro understood. He didn't know any better then she did if Serena was all right. 

"It's late. I think I'm going to go to bed too," Akaro said, standing up. If she didn't do something she was going to go hysterical. 

Chid pushed back his chair. "I know what you mean. These dinners are **awful**. Here, let me walk with you," Chid said, grinning. Akaro smiled as he took her arm. It was some of the old Chid shining through. He'd regained his entire princely demeanor upon returning from Freid. Chid, she had realized, had never had a chance to be a little boy. His excursion to Fanelia, she had decided, was the one chance that he'd had to be a rebellious, carefree young man. Now, Akaro realized sadly, that was gone.

"Why the solemn look all of a sudden?" Chid's voice pierced her thoughts. She focused on her surroundings and found that she was standing before her own door.

"Oh, I guess it's just the thought of what I'm going to do now," Akaro said, recovering. "After being thrown into the complex realm of royalty, I have to now go back to living my simple life. It's halfway relieving, halfway depressing." 

"You know," Chid said, "You don't have to go back to that." He turned to look at her, and Akaro caught the hint in his words.

"No Chid, I couldn't do that," Akaro carefully spoke. Her words were laced with double-meanings.

"Why not?" Chid asked simply, undaunted by her protest. His blue eyes were wide and very innocent looking.

"Well," Akaro began, not quite knowing what her reasoning was, "I don't...I don't know anything about politics, or being proper for that matter."

"Does it matter?" Chid asked, his voice low. 

Akaro looked at him fully in the eyes. "Yes."

"It doesn't matter to me," Chid said softly. Some golden hair fell in his eyes. He didn't seem to notice. Akaro resisted the urge to brush it away.

"It matters to me, and it will probably matter to the people of Freid as well," Akaro said, a little more passionately then she had meant.

Chid stepped back. _Great, _Akaro thought, _I've made him angry. Maybe it's for the better. Gods, everyone knows that I couldn't be a Duchess because...well, just because!_

"Curtsy," Chid said. It was spoken like a Duke to his servant. Akaro obeyed instinctively. She curtsied deep and low, then slowly brought her body back up from the ground. She didn't look into Chid's eyes. 

"That was one of the best curtsies I've ever seen," Chid said quietly.

"I've watched the Ladies do it all of my life," Akaro replied. She spoke in quiet bell-like tones. _Careful now_, she warned herself.

"Then," Chid replied, "You know how to dance as well." Akaro looked up, her eyes wide.

"I wouldn't go that far," she said. Akaro was not about to do whatever he had in mind. Unfortunately, it was too late. Chid was already too close. He took her hand and wrapped the other around her waist, then set off on a soundless waltz. Akaro felt like taking his Royal Crown and jerking it down to his knees. But instead she concentrated mostly on what his feet were doing, and refused to look at him. 

Chid glided up and down the hall. Akaro was torn between feeling angry, ecstatic, and embarrassed all at the same time. Chid was dancing to some music in his head, which he hummed occasionally. Akaro had no idea what was going on his mind. Finally she relaxed, closed her eyes, and laid her head on his chest. _Let him lead wherever he feels like going,_ Akaro thought. She felt to tired to do much protesting anyway.

After awhile, Chid stopped. Akaro locked up her body the minute she felt his momentum cease, hoping to all the Gods she wouldn't crash into him. Luckily, she didn't. She didn't move.

"Politics," he whispered to her ear. "We'll worry about later. 

"Chid, I—" Akaro began. Chid cut her off.

"What are you so afraid of?" His voice was a mixture of tenderness and exasperation.

Akaro reached inside herself for understanding. She didn't find it.

"I...I don't know," she said finally. Chid gently pulled her back and held her at arm's length. 

"Then marry me," he said. His eyes were large and wet. Akaro felt like falling over. 

"Don't you have an arranged—" Akaro stopped talking as Chid placed a hand on her mouth, forcing her to be quiet.

"Shh. Akaro, stop dodging the question and simply answer me," Chid said. He dropped his hand and got down upon one knee. From within the folds of his robes, he produced a diamond ring that was encompassed with shining emeralds. Akaro again fought off a major fainting fit. Chid slipped the ring onto her right hand, as was the custom in Freid. Akaro could sense her own burning cheeks and wide eyes.

"Akaro Havanna Daliente, will you marry me?" Chid asked softly, looking up at her. _Gods, his eyes are huge, _Akaro thought. 

"How do you know my full name?" Akaro breathed. 

"I'm the Duke of Freid, I have my ways. Please, just **answer me**!" Chid said. Akaro suddenly was completely calm. Soothed beyond belief. All the memories that she had of Chid came flooding back to her in a calm, gentle sea. Helping him on the balcony, sleeping in the woods, when he jokingly knocked her off the cliff and caught her. Everything. Finally, everything was crystal clear.

"Yes." The words escaped Akaro's lips triumphantly. 

Chid's eyes sparked and he leapt up and hugged her as hard as he dared. Akaro took tiny breaths as she felt her feet lift the floor. Chid spun her around in tiny circles. _I'm going to be sick,_ Akaro thought to herself. She then smiled and hugged him back as hard as she could.

"Now," said Chid, setting her down on the ground once more, "That wasn't too hard was it?"

Akaro laughed lightly.

"No, I guess not," she said, her voice sparkling. "Now what do we do?"

Instead of replying, Chid just looked at her slightly mischievously. Slowly a grin widened on his face, and he picked Akaro up and kissed her in response. That, Akaro found, was fine with her.


	21. Epilogue

Forbidden Chains

Forbidden Chains

By: rainjewel

A/N: Well kiddies, this is the end! I hope you liked the story! I'm thinking of a sequel, but I'm fully dedicated to my "Lost and Found" story right now (yes, I know I'm obsessed).

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Epilogue

Chid opened his eyes. He smelled bark and foliage. A few green leaves brushed his hair. He started in surprise, then lost his balance and fell towards the ground.

OOMPH! Chid landed on something that was cool and soft.

_Careful there_, came a voice in his mind. Chid opened his eyes, which he'd unconsciously shut tight, and looked up. Folken's face loomed above him, and above that was a huge tree bough. Chid assumed that was from what he fell. Chid gaped at Folken in astonishment. The man had never spoken to him in this place of unreality, save once. But, Chid noted with embarrassment, he'd certainly caught him a lot more then once.

Folken slowly lowered Chid's feet to the ground. Chid was still looking at him with wide-eyed incredulity. The aqua-haired man laughed deeply at the boy's look. Chid still was dazed as to what was going on here.

Chid felt a light pressure on his shoulder. He broke his gaze with Folken and spun around. Standing in front of him was Varie, her face radiant. Chid recovered himself and kneeled down in front of her, his princely instincts kicking in. Chid looked up at the old Fanelian Queen through his flaxen bangs. Varie smiled at the display of respect. She reached down and tousled his mop of golden locks. Chid relaxed and stood up, enveloping Varie in a loving embrace. 

Varie smiled at Chid, her strawberry lips curling towards the heavens. She then broke free from Chid's embrace, smiled again, then faded instantly into thin air.

_What? _Chid thought. He turned to face Folken yet again. _What in the hell was that all about? _He directed his question to Folken. In response, the older man gracefully lifted one hand beckoned Chid to come closer. Chid took a few steps forward, then asked what Folken what the point of all this was. Folken grinned mischievously and put an arm around Chid, spinning the boy around to his side. 

Chid gasped. In front of him was Eries. Her long silvery-blonde hair billowed in the wind, and she was wearing a short-sleeved dress, something Chid never would have thought she would have even considered **looking** at in Asturia. Eries smiled shyly at Chid and glanced at Folken, then ran (something that caused Chid gasp even more) to Chid and threw her arms around his neck, giving him a huge hug. She was an inch shorter then him, about 5'7" he suspected. He'd never noticed before how girl-like she had been. 

Eries withdrew from the embrace and cupped Chid's cheek with her hand. Her eyes shone with admiration and love. She laughed slightly, her bell-like voice ringing out across the Fanelian forest. Eries kissed Chid on the cheek, her way of telling him that she was fine. She then withdrew and looked to Folken, who stood next to Chid.

Folken looked down at her, his eyes wide. Eries looked down at her toes, blushing slightly. Chid was amazed at how **young** she was acting. Folken then laughed and grabbed Eries by the waist, lifting her up in the air with both his arms. Eries laughed in surprise then ran her fingers through his hair. She leaned down and kissed him full and wet on the lips. 

Chid muttered and looked away. The emotions that he felt were too high in this strange place. He didn't, or couldn't deal with them. Quickly, he threw a thought to Folken to perhaps veil his thoughts.

_Jeez, even **ghosts** can get distracted I see_, Chid thought to Folken. He sighed a little and began to walk away, then felt his ankle come into contact with something hard. Chid looked down and saw Folken's foot, and tried to stop his momentum. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

_Crap!_ The word rang out in Chid's mind as he bit the dirt. Folken's laughter rang throughout his head. _Well, _Chid thought to himself, _this is certainly the **weirdest **experience I've ever had._ Chid pushed himself up slightly with his arms and spit out some dust. He then pulled himself up to a kneeling position and began dusting off his arms and legs. 

Slowly, as Chid patted the dust from his limbs, pale blue fabric came into view. He stopped his dusting and looked at the fabric more closely. The fabric, he could tell was the bottom of a skirt. Asturian skirts. He slowly began to look up, but a man's hand descended down and grabbed him roughly by the arm. The hand then hauled him up to his feet. Chid scrambled frantically to match the speed at which his body was being pulled up with his feet. Finally, Chid was standing, though he almost fell to the ground again.

Standing in front of him was a tall man with deep brown hair and full, deep brown eyes. Chid's own eyes widened with recognition. Mahad. Chid had no time to think, for Mahad pulled him to his breast and hugged Chid as hard as was physically possible. Chid let out a little burst of breath then buried his face in his neck, for his arms were pressed against the man's chest.

Soon Mahad released Chid, and he stepped back. Chid looked at him confusedly, but Marlene stepped in front of Mahad, and her gloved arms were thrown wide about her. Chid smiled and stepped into her embrace. He stroked her long flaxen hair, hugging her tightly. Quickly, he remembered his last experience with her. Chid pulled back from the embrace and looked at his mother. He leaned in and kissed both her cheeks, tasting the salt from her joyful tears. Chid then withdrew his face and looked at Marlene, a wide silly grin spreading across his face. He laughed out loud as a wave of happiness washed over him. He could see her face, and for now, that was the most important thing to him in all of Gaea.

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